Dress Whites and Gold Wings
by cowgirlangel95
Summary: Navy AU: It's the year 2005. Lucas is a naval aviator serving on board the Enterprise, along with Farkle who is his RIO. Riley learns what they say about dress whites and gold wings is true, but she finds out about an untold secret that comes along with those wings. (Author's notes will contain important fic info. Please read them!)
1. Chapter 1

**Vocabulary:  
Case I:** _ **landing pattern used when flights will not encounter instrument conditions; ceiling and visibility are no lower than 3,000 feet and 5 nautical miles; pattern is a left-hand circle tangent to the ship's course, maximum diameter is 5 nautical miles.**_ _  
_ **Air Boss:** _ **aka air officer; responsible for all operations involving aircraft on the hangar deck, flight deck, and airborne aircraft out to 5 nautical miles from the carrier. Maintains visual control of all aircraft in the control zone from the tower. Any aircraft desiring to operate in the control zone must obtain his approval  
**_ **nautical mile:** _ **equivalent to 1.15077945 miles  
**_ **Landing Signal Officer:** _ **aviator that guides approaching aircraft while landing; keeps them on the glide slope  
**_ **Glide slope:** _ **angle of decent of an aircraft  
**_ **arresting wire** _ **: cable used to help stop aircraft on the flight deck  
**_ **RIO:** _ **Radar Intercept Officer  
**_ **traps:** _ **taking off/ landing onto the carrier**_

 _ **A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy the first chapter of my latest idea. If I missed any vocab that you may not know, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I know most of these terms and sometimes I may skip over a word thinking it's common sense, but the reality is that I grew up with a bunch of these terms.**_

 _ **Updates for this story will be about once a month. I want to focus on another fic I'm working on for a friend, so this one will be on the back burner. But I still wanted to get this one out there.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Girl Meets World**_

The _Enterprise_ cut through the ocean's gentle waves, causing the sun to glimmer off of its surface even more as she moved. The crystal clear sky was a welcoming sight to everyone on board, especially to the pilots who were currently finishing their day traps. It didn't matter what the weather was like around them, they flew no matter what. You don't choose the weather you fly in in war time.

"Enterprise tower, this is two five o tomcat, four point five requesting final approach," the pilot, Lieutenant Friar radioed as he continued his case I landing pattern around the aircraft carrier below.

" _Roger, two five o. Continue final approach. Call the ball,"_ the air boss returned.

The lieutenant nodded as he switched communications to the flight deck. " _Enterprise_ , this is two five o tomcat, ball four point three."

" _Two five o tomcat, roger ball,"_ the Landing Signal Officer replied, clearing him for his landing.

Lieutenant Friar finished the landing pattern and began his decent, keeping his narrowed eyes on the pitching deck of the _Enterprise_ as it gradually grew closer.

" _Looking good, two five o,"_ the Landing Signal Officer continued, helping to guide the pilot down safely and keeping him on the glide slope.

Every few seconds, the Landing Signal officer would repeat his words, letting the pilot know that he didn't have to make any corrections as he continued his descent.

Luckily, no corrections were needed as he finished his landing. The F-14 touched down onto the flight deck, and the tail hook grabbed ahold of the arresting wire, helping to bring the fighter jet to a sudden stop as the pilot throttled the engines into full reversal. That was it… their daytime qualifications were complete.

"Nice work, Cowboy!"

Lieutenant Lucas 'Cowboy' Friar glanced at the small mirror located towards the top of the cockpit to look at his RIO, who was sitting in the back seat: Lieutenant Farkle 'Griffin' Minkus, a dear friend of his since flight school.

"Thanks, Griffin."

"How many good traps does that make?" Farkle asked, knowing fully well how good Lucas was.

Lucas shrugged as the canopy began to open, allowing them to exit within the next couple of moments. "I don't know. You know that I, personally, don't keep track of my totals. I'm just another average pilot."

Farkle laughed at Lucas' comment as they climbed down from the plane, headed off the flight deck, and walked to the locker room to change out of their flight suits. "'Another average pilot'? Come on, Lucas! You're one of the best pilots on this ship, and you know Riley would say the same thing if she were here."

The young pilot smiled at hearing his girlfriend's name. It felt like it was an eternity since he last saw her in person, but thankfully, he was going to be able to see her soon. The _Enterprise_ was heading back to their homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, and he couldn't wait to meet up with her.

"Perhaps," he responded.

Farkle rolled his eyes as they made their way to their quarters. "You're doing everything you can to make sure this doesn't go to your head, aren't you?"

Lucas nodded. "'A good pilot must be confident, but never cocky. Being cocky can get you into trouble'," he said, quoting a family friend, then Commander McCall, when he first entered flight school. "Besides, I promised Riley that I'd come back in one piece."

"Yeah, she'd appreciate that."

Lucas nodded again as his mind drifted back to about two and a half years ago to when he first met her.

 _Farkle and Lucas made their way through the crowd after their winging ceremony. It was hard to believe that the two friends had completed flight school, and were about to embark on their first sea voyage in a few days. Lucas' eyes softened as he glanced around the room as he followed his friend. It seemed to be the same everywhere. Parents and siblings were congratulating the newest pilots in their family. Everyone seemed to be partaking in the same thing, everyone but Lucas that was. Lucas' parents didn't approve of his decision to join the military, let alone the idea of their son becoming a naval aviator. His father made it clear that he wouldn't be part of anything as Lucas went on in his career. He originally wanted for Lucas to go into something with, as he described, a little more purpose. Or in other words go into the family business with him. While his mother didn't like her son's ideas on his future, she was pleased that he was doing something he wanted._

" _There they are!" Farkle announced, and headed towards his family and friends._

 _Lucas shot a hand out and grabbed ahold of Farkle's arm, stopping them both in their tracks. "Farkle, maybe I should leave you guys. I mean, they are your family and friends, and I don't want to impose," he explained, feeling as if the collar of his dress white uniform became very stiff, making Lucas feeling even more uncomfortable._

" _Nonsense! Besides, I want you to meet my friends from high school. I think you guys would get along great!"_

 _Lucas reluctantly agreed, and followed his friend over to the corner of the room. Once they were there, Lucas immediately recognized Farkle's father, Stuart Minkus, from the news. His company, Minkus International, was really taking off (and was a huge rival to his father's business, not that he cared). Right next to him stood Farkle's mother, along with a couple of Farkle's younger brothers who looked to be about fifteen years old or so. Lucas couldn't really tell; he wasn't one for guessing ages._

 _Standing a couple feet away from the family were two young ladies about his age. One of them stood a little over five foot tall and had long blonde hair, and she didn't look too excited to be there. Her eyes kept slowly drifting around the room, and they appeared to lack any sort of excitement._

 _The other young lady stood a couple inches taller than the blonde. She had long dark brown hair, and chocolate colored eyes that appeared to be filled with joy. If anything, she looked as if she was going to burst from all the enthusiasm she was holding in._

 _After Lucas was introduced to Farkle's family, the two young ladies approached the shorter man and embraced him._

" _Congratulations, Farkle!" the brunette exclaimed._

" _Yeah," the blonde agreed. "We're both really proud of you."_

" _Thanks guys. It really means a lot to me that you came. And, I'd like you to meet my friend, Lucas Friar. Lucas, these are my good friends, Maya Hart and Riley Matthews."_

" _Pleasure to meet you both," Lucas greeted._

 _Maya simply nodded her head, while Riley replied, "Likewise," as her eyes seemed to brighten even more when they made eye contact with Lucas'._

 _Lucas extended a hand towards her, to which Riley graciously accepted. She immediately felt her breathless as their skin made contact._ I guess what they say about dress whites and gold wings is true, _Riley thought as a new feeling started to grip her heart._

 _Ever since that moment, the four of them became close friends. Lucas and Riley especially. They kept in close contact once he was off serving sea duty. It wasn't long afterwards that Lucas asked her father, Cory Matthews, if he and Riley could try a long distance relationship. Cory agreed. He grew fond of Lucas through their own email conversations, but warned him that Riley may say no. Luckily, she said yes. It was hard at times since emails and phone calls couldn't replace talking face to face, but that made the time they did have together all the more special._

Lucas smiled as the memory faded away. He remembered when he and Riley connected, and at the time, he wasn't looking for a girlfriend. Lucas knew how hard it could be at times, and didn't want to do that to anyone. But when you think you've found the right one, everything is worth it.

The two lieutenants walked into their quarters and Farkle said, "I bet Riley can't wait to see you in two days."

Lucas nodded as he flopped down on his bunk and released his breath as he closed his eyes. "Yeah, I can't wait to see her, too," he responded, trying to imagine what their time will be like together when they're reunited. Lucas could almost smell her perfume and feel her arms wrap around his neck.

Farkle began to chuckle as he sat down at the computer and looked at the screen. "Speaking of Riley," he began, "you have an email from her."

Lucas' eyes snapped open as he sat up and took a couple of steps to reach the desk. "Thanks for telling me, buddy. It slipped my mind that we were going to email each other tonight."

Farkle stood up and let Lucas have the desk chair. "Don't tell Riley you said that," he teased.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "She knows how busy we get."

"I know, I'm just pulling your leg. I'm going to go get some chow. Make sure you get something to eat before our night traps."

"Will do, see ya later."

 _ **A/N: Let me know what you thought! Also, the GMW Rucas challenge for one shots ends this Saturday, the 11**_ _ **th**_ _ **at midnight Pacific Time. Feel free to submit works until then!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Vocabulary:**_

 **drink:** _ **ocean  
**_ **quals:** _ **flight qualifications**_

 _ **A/N: I'd like your help in congratulating my GMW Rucas One Shot Challenge winners, which are: LillyBean23, Stay Gold – Pebblemist, and 4evaSummer! And here, I will give some praise to the second place winner, Pebble. If you haven't checked out her works yet, you need to. She is an amazing writer, and puts a lot of time and effort in making sure she's giving you her best work. Her current fic,**_ **Unexpected Ties,** _ **is one of the few fics that gets me on the edge of my seat. So, what are you waiting for? Go check her out!**_

Once Farkle had closed the hatch behind him, Lucas sat down and opened the email from Riley. His heart rate started to escalate as he began to read her message.

 _Hey Lucas!_

 _How's it going? Forget that we were emailing tonight? ;) Just teasing, I know how busy you can get. Duty must come first; don't want you getting court martialed on me. Anyway, I hope everything is going well. I really can't wait to see you in three days! Maya and I should be down in Norfolk the day before you dock; she wants to get some shopping and sightseeing done. That and it's good best friend quality time, plus the drive down. It's going to be great!_

 _So, is Farkle keeping you in line? He better be, especially in the air! I don't want to have you getting fished out of the sea._

 _Hope you see this soon!  
Your Princess_

Lucas smiled as he read over her message. He had told Riley that they were arriving a day later than they actually were. His reasoning? Lucas wanted to surprise her at lunch. That, and there would be so many visiting family members at the dock to see their returning sailors, and he knew how much Riley hated crowds so he thought he'd spare her from that. To make sure his plan would work, he enlisted Maya to help him, and from Riley's email, it looked as if she was still in the dark which was perfect. Not that he expected Maya to let something slip, but if Riley got whiff that something was being planned, she'd do everything that she could to figure out what that was.

He looked at when the message was sent, and saw that she had mailed it about twenty minutes ago. _With any luck, she should still be at her computer,_ Lucas thought as he began to type his response.

 _Hi Riley,_

 _Everything is going pretty well right now. Yeah, it did slip my mind for a bit… but when I'm flying traps I can't have any distractions, especially if you don't want me getting fished out of the drink. Just got done with my day quals; still have the night ones left, but that shouldn't be any problem. I can't wait to see you, too!_

 _Glad you and Maya will be able to spend some time together. How's her job going for her? Know it takes a lot of her time now. Or has she been able to manage her time better?_

 _Yes, Farkle is keeping me in line. If anything I should be saying I'm keeping_ him _in line so he doesn't get too cocky._

 _How are your parents doing? And Auggie?_

 _Talk to you soon  
Your pilot._

Lucas hit the 'send' button and relaxed in the chair. As much as he enjoyed having a way to contact Riley while he was onboard, he really couldn't wait to see her. Just talking to her via email made him realize how much he missed her. He knew he missed her, but he didn't comprehend how much until now; he was less than two days out, and yet it still seemed so far away.

As Lucas predicted, Riley's reply came in rather quickly. He opened the email and his eyes began to read.

 _As long as it was for a good reason, I forgive you ;) No really, I'd rather you forget because you're focusing on your job. Glad your day quals went well! Hopefully your night ones will go as well as you think they will be. I know I wouldn't be able to do that; guess that's why I'm not there and you are._

 _Maya's job is going well. She has been able to manage her time more, but being a commercial artist isn't easy. Her available time does vary from project to project; but she loves it so that's good. We've been able to see each other more often now, about once a week on the weekends, but again it depends on how big the project is._

 _Farkle, cocky? Never! ...okay, if you couldn't tell I was being sarcastic there. What's he doing now?_

 _My parents are doing well. Mom just won a major case, and dad is still griping about annoying high schoolers who won't do their work. So, everything is pretty much normal for them. Auggie is doing well, I guess. He's sort of overwhelmed. Right now he's trying to figure out which college to go to. I can hear him debating the pros and cons for each one right now. He must be in the hallway… so many colleges are begging him to come to their school, and he's not sure which one he should go to._

Lucas chuckled as he began to type his response.

 _That's good to hear from Maya. I bet she's happy about getting a break for a couple of days._

 _Oh, Farkle is being Farkle. He doesn't understand how I'm not letting my scores get to my head, and he keeps calling me one of the best pilots on the ship. I honestly don't care if I am or not. There's two reasons why I'm not letting my scores get to my head: my friend, now Captain McCall, told me confident but not cocky so I don't get into trouble. You remember him, don't you? Anyway, the second reason is you. I'd think that's good enough for me, how about you?_

 _Oh, Auggie... I guess I was lucky to not have to worry about that. I knew what I wanted to do for a long time. Tell him don't stress over it. If the college has the classes that he wants, then that should be ranked higher than the others. Distance and where it's located (rural or urban) should be a major factor, too._

He clicked send and then looked up at the clock hanging on his wall. Lucas probably had time for one more response before he had to go eat and get ready for his night traps. He felt his heart drop a little bit. What he wanted was to be able to stay and talk with Riley some more, but he reminded himself that he would have plenty of time in less than forty eight hours.

Riley's next email came in just as he came out of his daze.

 _Yeah, those reasons sound good enough for me. And yes, I do remember him! Didn't someone you know almost crash because he was so full of himself?_

 _I'll be sure to tell him. Hopefully that will help some._

Lucas nodded as he began to write back.

 _Yeah, it was actually Captain McCall. It helped him realize that he wasn't invincible, like some pilots often think, and he doesn't want me to experience firsthand. So I'll take his word for it, and just focus on doing the best that I can. However, I can definitely see the cocky attitude he's talking about, even more so than Farkle, although it can be hard to believe at times, haha._

 _Well, I hate to do this but I have to go eat before I fly for the last time tonight. See you soon, Princess. Love you!_

After Lucas sent his reply, he waited for Riley's response before he headed down to the chow hall, which didn't take long at all.

 _Okay. See you soon :) Love you, too!_

Lucas smiled as he closed out of the last email and let out a satisfied sigh. _Less than forty eight hours. You can do it,_ he reassured himself. He shook his head as he walked out of his quarters and headed down to the chow hall, making sure not to trip on the knee knockers or bang his head on the doorways (which he had done several times since he was aboard). It was getting harder and harder to be away from Riley. Luckily, his tour was almost over, so at least he would be state side for a while. But he had a feeling it wouldn't be enough. So while the _Enterprise_ was in port, he was going to take the first step in fixing that.

He was going to ask Riley's parents' permission for her hand in marriage. And the next time he was home, he would propose to her.

 _ **A/N #2: Okay, I need your help. I'm trying to write a chapter for this fic so there's not a huge time jump in between the reunion between all the friends and the chapter I have after that (which would be about a 3-6 month time gap). I know I want it to focus on Lucas and Farkle on board ship, but other than that I have no clue. Let me know what you want to see! Pretty please? Once I have that chapter written, there will be a greater chance that I'll update twice a month, and believe me, I think you'll want that ;) Also, if you could leave a review on what you thought of it that would be great. Until next time!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Alright, I'm going to try and increase the updates to once every two weeks since I'm now halfway done writing it. Work is done for the summer, and I'm either done/ almost done with all of my requests. So hopefully that will help get the rest of the story done before college. Cross your fingers!**_

Maya smiled and shook her head slightly as she continued to drive down the highway while she listened to Riley continue to babble about seeing her boyfriend tomorrow. It was so cute when her little plant went on little tangents like this. She didn't blame Riley for missing Lucas, and who could blame her, honestly? It could be hard at times for the two, but their love for each other continued to grow stronger. _I've heard of long distance, but this is something else!_ Maya joked to herself.

"I wonder if Lucas has anything planned for tomorrow," Riley continued.

Maya shrugged slightly. "Guess we'll find out when the time comes," she replied as her smile grew to a slyer one. _Does he have anything planned for tomorrow? No. Today, yes!_

This change didn't go unnoticed by Riley. "Maya, what's with that?"

"What's what?" Maya responded, trying, and failing, to play dumb.

Riley rolled her eyes. "You know what. That smile! What is with that smile?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Maya replied nonchalantly, her smile continuing to grow. _I love teasing her like this. It can be so much fun at times!_

"Oh you!" Riley groaned. "You know something, don't you?"

Maya held one of her hands up in defense. "Even if I did know something, I'm not saying a word. Not one single word."

Luckily for Maya, Riley let out a somewhat annoyed sigh, and shifted her focus to the passing scenery. Usually she would try and press for more details, but Maya had an inkling as to why Riley wasn't saying anything more. She missed Lucas, a _lot_. Riley usually did, but today she appeared to miss him much more than usual. They hadn't seen each other in person in nearly six months, which was at the beginning of his current deployment. Despite the promise of trying to see each other whenever he was in port, whether that be in country or overseas, it was still hard for Riley to try and get time off. That, and she couldn't request a vacation day for _every_ time Lucas was docked at a naval base, it wouldn't be fair for those at her job that really need the time off.

If Maya was a betting person, she would bet that Riley couldn't wait for Lucas' tour to be done. _Which is what, another six months after this deployment finishes? He's been on the carrier for about two and a half years now,_ Maya mulled over. And who could blame her, or any military family for missing their loved ones? Living like that was tough, and how they were able to manage, Maya didn't know. Personally, she didn't think she could do something like that, so she respected those who could all the more.

The rest of their trip passed in silence, which wasn't much longer. Once Maya parked the car in the hotel's parking lot, the two of them grabbed their luggage and headed inside to check in. Personally, Maya thought the check in would take longer than it did, but then again, she never did travel much when she was younger. Her and her mom couldn't afford it. The only time she traveled 'far' was when she went to Philadelphia with the Matthews', and then they stayed at Cory's old house with his parents.

Once they were given their keys, the two best friends headed to the elevator and went up to their room. Once they stepped inside, Riley was in awe.

"Where did you _find_ this place?" Riley asked as she set her bag on the bed near the screen door, which led to the patio.

"Farkle sent me some hotel names that were relatively near the base, and this one seemed to look the most appealing from what was shown online," she explained as she looked around the room.

Riley walked up to the screen door and looked outside. The view was _amazing_! "Wow…" she mumbled under her breath. "We get to stay here for three days?"

"Yeah, and that means there's plenty of time to check that stuff out later," Maya urged as she looked down at her watch. The _Enterprise_ would be docking in about an hour, which meant she had to get Riley out of the hotel. It would be more convincing if she suggested they head to their meeting spot with the boys if they were already wandering Norfolk. "How does roaming the city for a bit sound? Maybe some shopping?"

Riley's lips curled into an excited smile. "Sounds good to me!" she replied as she picked up her purse. "Let's go!"

Maya shook her head as Riley bounced her way through the doorframe. _You a lot of work, Riles. You a lot of work._

OoOoO

Maya slowly glanced over the clothing racks while Riley was on the other side of the store. She glanced down at her watch and frowned. Over an hour and three clothing stores later, she had yet to hear from either Lucas or Farkle. Needless to say, she was growing antsy, and she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to hide the surprise from Riley. When things start to go wrong, Maya's nerves escalate to no end. _Come on… one of you call already!_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Riley who was walking over with a few items draped over her arm. Maya put on her best smile and shook her head. "Do you think you have enough stuff to try on?" she teased.

Riley looked at the few clothing articles that she had picked up, then gave her best friend a teasing glare. "Come on, Maya. It's not that much! If anything, I would have thought you would have found _something_ , considering you're the one who wanted to go shopping. We've been to three stores and you have yet to find anything."

Maya shrugged as she leaned up against the doorway that led to the dressing rooms. "So I haven't found anything that I like yet. You know how picky I can be."

"Touché. I'm going to go try these things on," Riley replied as she headed off to find a dressing room.

Maya smiled as her friend passed her. "You do that."

Once Riley rounded the corner, Maya took the advantage of her best friend not being in the room and pulled her cell phone out of her purse and began to dial Lucas' number. Before she hit the call button, Maya took one last look over her shoulder to make sure Riley was out of sight, which she was, and made the call.

Each ring seemed to take an eternity. Maya kept on looking over her shoulder to make sure Riley hadn't come out of the dressing room. The last thing she needed was for her best friend to walk in on this phone call, especially if Maya wanted to keep everything that had been planned a secret.

 _Come on! Pick up already!_ Maya thought.

" _Hello?"_ Lucas answered.

 _What good timing,_ she responded in her mind. "Hey, where are you two?"

" _We just got off the base and headed to the restaurant now. Should be there in about fifteen minutes or so. Are you two there yet?"_

Maya shook her head despite the fact she was on the phone. "No, Riley's trying some things on at the moment, but I'll suggest heading over to get something to eat after she comes out."

" _Alright. Guess we'll see you then!"_

"Okay then," Maya said just before she pressed the 'call end' button and slipped the Nokia back into her bag.

Just as she readjusted the purse strap on her shoulder, Riley came walking out with a jacket and a flowing shirt draped over her arm. "I think I'm going to get these."

"Sounds good! How about some lunch after you buy those? I made some reservations at a restaurant nearby called Freemason Abbey."

Riley gave her best friend a smile and nodded. "That sounds good, cause I didn't realize how hungry I really was."

Maya let out a laugh. "Okay, silly… go purchase those so we can eat."

"Okay, okay! I'm going!" Riley laughed.

 _ **A/N #2: Let me know what you thought of it! Looking forward to the 'reunion' next? I know I am :) See you in two weeks!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Alright, let's try this. I wanted to update early since I'm moving into college this weekend, so yay for an early update! Also, since I'm almost done writing this fic, updates will be twice a week starting next week as long as I continue to be 'in the zone', which is looking good!**_

Riley's mouth dropped as both she and Maya walked up to the restaurant her best friend had chosen. When Maya mentioned Freemason Abbey, Riley just thought of it as another nice restaurant name, not a restaurant built out of an old stone church! It was absolutely remarkable!

Once they stepped inside, a hostess greeted them with a cheery smile. Riley didn't really pay attention as Maya told the hostess that she had made reservations under 'Hart'. She was too busy admiring the craftsmanship that went into building this place. The beamed ceiling, the stained glass windows, and the rustic feel it carried throughout it. She loved it. The hostess skimmed through her book and nodded as she found the name. She picked up two menus and led them to a small booth in the far corner on the second floor. Riley plopped herself down on the seat with her back to the staircase, and Maya sat across from her.

The hostess set the menus in front of them and told them about the specials for that day. "Your waitress will be with you to take your drink orders in a few moments."

The two best friends thanked her and began to glance over the menu. It didn't take long for both of them to decide on what they wanted to drink, but their waitress didn't arrive for another couple of minutes which allowed them to look over the entrée choices. After their drink orders were placed, Riley a raspberry lemonade and Maya a sweet tea, both of them continued to look over the entrées.

"Maya," Riley dragged out. "How am I going to be able to pick from all of this? So many of them sound so good! The steak wrap, downtown burger, the chicken ranch sandwich… I think we're going to have to come here a couple more times before we leave."

Maya chuckled as she glanced over the top of her menu. She made eye contact with both Lucas and Farkle, who had just reached the top of the stairs and were making sure to approach the booth quietly. Lucas was carrying a tray that had Riley's drink sitting atop of it, like they had planned with the restaurant two days ago. Maya closed her menu and shrugged. "Yeah, those sound good. But I've already decided on mine."

Riley glared at her best friend. "Oh hush!"

A smile steadily grew over Maya's lips as the two men gradually came closer to the booth. "Yeah… well, what can I say?"

Riley opened her mouth to respond, but another voice interrupted. "You're drink, ma'am," it said.

When she heard the voice, she felt her back straighten. It wasn't their waitress' voice. In fact, it wasn't a woman's voice at all! It was a man's. As realization set in, it clicked in her mind that she knew that voice. Riley looked up as she saw Lucas set down her drink on the table in front of her. A huge smile was plastered across his face as the two made eye contact.

"Lucas!" she gasped as she jumped up from her spot and wrapped her arms around his neck. Part of her couldn't believe what she was seeing in that he was finally here with her, but the feeling of Lucas' arms wrapping around her waist was quite real. She had missed this feeling far too much; much more than she ever realized. Riley tightened her grip and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I missed you," she whispered.

"I missed you, too."

As the couple released from their embrace, Riley's eyebrow shot up. "Wait a minute. Didn't you say you were coming in tomorrow? How are you here now?"

He took ahold of her hand as they all sat back down. "I wanted to surprise you. That and I know how you don't like large crowds, and we would have been rushed if we had met at the base."

"Thank you."

Maya smirked at her best friend. "You're welcome."

Riley raised an eyebrow. "You were in on this? Of course you were… you had to be if everything was going to work out. Thank you all. This really means a lot to me."

Everyone smiled as the waitress approached their table with the rest of the drinks. "Would you like a few more minutes to look over the menu now that the rest of your party has arrived?"

Lucas took a quick glance at Riley's menu and shook his head. "I'm ready if you all are."

Both of the girls nodded.

"Farkle?"

"I'm getting my usual!" he declared.

The waitress smiled as she shook her head. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

OoOoO

The four friends made their way down the sidewalk towards the hotel as the stars began to brighten up in the night sky. Lucas had draped his arm around Riley's shoulders while both Maya and Farkle were bickering over something trivial as per usual.

"So, how long are you here for?" Riley tiredly asked. She already knew the answer, but for some reason she was hoping that the answer would be different this time around.

"Unfortunately, only for a few days. But I plan on spending as much time with you as I can. Do you and Maya have any plans tomorrow?"

Riley shrugged. "Well, considering that I thought you were docking _tomorrow_ , I don't think so. But you'd have to double check with her."

"We're not doing anything! You two do whatever you want tomorrow," Maya yelled over her shoulder, clearly eavesdropping on the last part of their conversation.

Both Riley and Lucas chuckled as they headed into the hotel and up the stairs. "A movie and a dinner date sound good to you?" Lucas asked.

Riley nodded. "Of course it does. As long as I'm with you."

As they headed down the hallway towards the girls' hotel room, Lucas kissed the top of Riley's head. "I wish there was a way to take you with me. It's getting harder and harder to leave you."

"I know, same here," Riley agreed.

After another moment of silence between the two, Lucas spoke. "So, I'll pick you up tomorrow around ten?"

Riley nodded as Maya opened the door to their room. "Yeah. I'll see you then. Goodnight."

"Night."

Once the door was closed, Farkle looked at Lucas. "Well, that was an interesting day."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "How so? Because you and Maya were arguing almost all day?"

Farkle released a happy sigh. "Yeah…" he trailed.

"You do realize she's never going to go out with you, right?"

"One can dream… and right now I'm hoping she might someday," he replied before he headed down the hallway. "I'll see you back on the base."

Lucas smiled as he walked away from Riley's hotel room. He really enjoyed spending time with her, and couldn't wait to see her more tomorrow. As he walked out of the hotel, Lucas reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed in a long distance number that had been etched into his memory and brought it up to his ear. Once the phone touched his ear, Lucas felt his heart rate begin to increase, and he was afraid that it might burst out of his chest if it kept going. He didn't know why his heart was beating so loudly; it wasn't like this was the first time he was calling this number. Just the first (and hopefully the only) time he was calling them with this question. The phone rang a few times before someone on the other end picked up.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Matthews? It's Lucas," he greeted as he felt the adrenalin starting to pump into his body. It was funny. Lucas never felt this nervous catapulting off of a carrier deck, so why was he this nervous now?

"Hello Mr. Friar. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, sir. Is Mrs. Matthews there?"

There was a slight pause before Cory answered. "Yes, she's here. Do you need to speak with her?"

"Actually…I would like to talk with the both of you, if that's alright."

Another break came over the phone as he could hear Cory's muffled voiced asking Topanga to pick up the phone in the kitchen. It was another couple of moments before there was any sort of noise on the line.

"Alright. I'm here," Topanga said. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. The reason why I called you is because I have something that I need to ask the two of you."

 _ **A/N #2: Okay, you probably wanted more of a Rucas reunion, but I really couldn't think of anything else to add. But don't worry! Plenty of Rucas to come in the next chapter! And before you head out, could you please leave a review? I really want to know what you guys think of it – what you like and don't like. Until then lovelies!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: I apologize in advance if anything in this seems a bit too gushy. Updates will now be on Tuesday and Saturday :)**_

Riley and Maya walked into Riley's room with several bags in hand, indicating that their shopping trip with Uncle Shawn was successful. It was always fun when the three of them went shopping together. Once everyone had made their purchases, Shawn would take all of them to a nice restaurant, his treat of course. If there still was enough time left in the day after the group had finished eating, they would all head to the movie theater for a final round of fun.

For Riley, the trip was a nice distraction from how she was actually feeling. Today was just one of those days where she really missed Lucas, and she felt pathetic about it. There was no use in brooding over what she couldn't have at the moment, yet that's what she was doing for most of the morning until Shawn came and picked her and Maya up. A few hours of happiness, and now she found herself back in that void.

A pair of fingers snapped in front of her eyes, causing Riley to blink. She looked up to see Maya looking down at her with her hands on her hips. Heck, Riley didn't even remember sitting down on her bed!

"I take it you didn't hear a word I just said?" she asked.

Riley shook her head. "Sorry…" she trailed as her guilt filled her voice.

Maya sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her best friend's shoulder. "Don't worry. You really miss him, huh?"

"Yeah… I mean, I miss him every day, but there are just some days where it's harder to get through. Today just happens to be one of those days, and I'm not sure why."

"There doesn't have to be a reason," Maya explained. "The two of you have been doing this for a while now, it's only natural."

Riley sighed. "Well, it doesn't seem that way."

"You're not the only one that's going through this, Riles. How hard did your parents take it when your mom moved during high school?"

"Rather hard," Riley answered after pausing for a moment. "But I would like to think that I'm handling it better than my dad did."

"I'm sure you are. And think about it; you and Lucas are farther apart than your parents were, and you're still working through it."

"True…"

Maya sighed as she turned on Riley's computer. "Go," she gestured towards the desk as the computer booted up. "Talk to him."

"But what about us hanging out tonight?"

A mischievous grin came over Maya's lips. "Who said I was leaving?"

* * *

Lucas lightly sighed as he sat down on his bunk and opened his book. It had been a while since he had some free time that he was able to do what he wanted. Usually Farkle or one of his other shipboard buddies would get him involved with something else. But not today. All he had on his mind was doing nothing specific. Just anything he felt like doing, and enjoying the silence.

However, that luxury didn't last long. The hatch to his quarters opened and Farkle stepped through the door.

"Hey! Up for watching the movie tonight?"

Lucas looked over the pages of his book at his roommate. "What are they showing tonight?"

" _Top Gun_."

The pilot rolled his eyes. "No thanks… I live it; I don't want to watch it."

Farkle shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself."

"Enjoy it for me," Lucas returned.

"Okay," Farkle smiled. "See you later."

Once the hatch closed behind his best friend, Lucas returned to his book. Again, the luxury of enjoying his free time to his advantage didn't last long, when his email notification went off on his computer. Lucas sighed as he got up to check it, but once he saw who it was from, he didn't mind that his reading was interrupted.

It was from Riley.

 _Hey. Got some time to talk?_

Lucas smiled as he typed his response. _Of course, anything for you. What's up?_

It took a little while for Riley to respond. _Oh, not much… just really missing you at the moment. Wishing you were here; you know, the usual._

Lucas frowned a bit as he typed up his reply to her. _Now, now… you can't possibly miss me yet! It's only been a month and a half since you last saw me. Okay, probably not the best of jokes at the moment…_

 _Do you still have my jacket?_

Once Lucas hit send, he sat back and waited. He didn't like being away when Riley felt like this, but there wasn't much he could do about that. Lucas couldn't pick his assignments, or choose to come and go as he pleased. Hopefully once this tour was done and he was given a shore assignment, everything would get a bit better.

A small beep coming from his computer indicated that Riley had responded.

 _As bad as it was, it actually did get me to smile._

 _And of course I do. I'd never get rid of it._

He looked out of the porthole and saw the moon just starting to rise over the sea. With any luck, Riley would be able to see it from her apartment.

 _Put it on, and step out onto your balcony. I can see the moon right now; look at it, and you'll see me._

After he hit send, Lucas stood up from his chair and looked out the small window at the steadily rising moon. When they agreed to try the long distance relationship, Lucas had the idea that when one missed the other, or they both missed each other, they'd pick a point in the sky, either a star or the moon, and when one of them looked at it, it would be like they were looking at the other. He had heard about that same thing through many different people, and so far it seemed to help with them.

A few minutes later, his computer beeped at him again. After taking in a relaxing breath, he went over to look at the message he had received.

 _I see you!_

Lucas's lips curled up into a smile as he typed. _I see you, too :)_

As he headed back to the porthole and gazed at the moon, the echo of a song came to the front of Lucas' mind, which made him think of Riley all the more.

 _I'll find you in the morning sun  
And when the night is new  
I'll be looking at the moon  
But I'll be seeing you_

 _I will find you in the morning sun  
And when the night is new  
I'll be looking at the moon  
But I'll be seeing you*_

Lucas smirked as the song came to a close mentally. _How true those words are… how true they are._

 _ ***Song lyrics: I'll Be Seeing You by Frank Sinatra (version that inspired me: performed by James Darren. You should check it out!)**_

 _ **A/N #2: So… enough Rucas goodness for you? Let me know what you thought!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Vocab:**_

 **IFF** _ **:**_ _ **Identification, friend or foe signal. Enables military interrogation systems to identify aircraft  
**_ **Tackan** _ **:**_ _ **Tactical air navigation system; provides user with bearing and distance to a ground or ship-borne station  
**_ **INS** _ **: Internal Navigation System  
**_ **Squawk** _ **: A four digit number entered into the transponder by a pilot to identify his aircraft to the air traffic controllers OR a problem with an aircraft reported to maintenance for repairs  
**_ **IDET** _ **: Integrated Digital Environment Transition (?)  
**_ **DME** _ **: Distance measuring equipment; like GPS**_ **  
YAW:** _ **"heading"; the yaw axis is the one that points straight down for a plane  
**_ **Seahawk** _ **: type of helicopter  
**_ **Viking:** _ **type of helicopter  
**_ **knot** _ **: equivalent to 1.151 mph**_ **  
FAA:** _ **Federal Aviation Administration  
**_ **CIC:** _ **Combat Information Center**_

 _ **A/N: Since there were some technical difficulties, I couldn't update yesterday, but here it is now! Everyone please fasten your seatbelts and keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times. The ride of your life is about to begin.**_

 _ **(Just so you know, I may have missed a few vocab words in this chapter. I couldn't find the definitions for all of them, and some of them I found something, but wasn't quite sure if the definition I found was the correct one (hence the question marks). Sorry about that… Also, a lot of the dialogue used in the upcoming chapters I borrowed from JAG since I have no experience in this field whatsoever)**_

With a sudden jolt, both Lieutenants Friar and Minkus were catapulted off the carrier deck, towards the darkening sky to deliver the F-14 they were flying to Lakehurst, New Jersey. As the jet continued to ascend, Lucas looked at the sky far ahead of them. He could begin to see some dark clouds of the storm that was approaching, but they shouldn't run into any problems with it. If they did come across it, it would be for a brief time before they touched down in Lakehurst.

"So, looking forward to seeing Riley on this short trip?" Farkle asked.

Lucas smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we're actually meeting up with her family and Captain McCall to surprise Riley at dinner after we land."

His RIO raised an eyebrow. "We are? First I've heard of this."

"Sorry, buddy. I just recently made the plans with Riley's dad yesterday. When I heard we were going to be close to New York City, I had to jump at the opportunity."

"Ah. Jump at what opportunity?" Farkle asked. It seemed the more information Lucas was giving about their trip, the more confused he grew. "I kinda figured you'd be going to see Riley anyway since it has been, what, three months since you last saw her? And why did you have to contact Mr. Matthews? You know you're always welcome there."

A pleased smile spread on Lucas' face. "I'm planning on proposing to her at dinner."

Farkle's eyes widened and a huge grin spread across his lips. "Really? Congrats!"

"Thanks, buddy."

" _Navy two five oh, I'm starting to lose you. Suggest you switch to Washington Center,"_ one of the radio controllers spoke.

Farkle nodded. "Roger, thanks for the help," he responded as he adjusted the plane's radio frequency so they would be able to pick up Washington. "We have a low oxygen level light, we're going to have to take her down to ten thousand," he said to Lucas.

"Roger that."

As Lucas brought the fighter jet down to ten thousand feet, Farkle raised Washington Center on the radio.

"Washington Center, Navy two five oh on two two one point oh. How do you read?"

" _Loud and clear, two five oh. State position and altitude,"_ a voice crackled over the radio.

"Navy two five oh, approximately two hundred ten miles south east of Center at ten thousand. Be advised IFF and Tackan are intermittent. INS is in op. We intend to land at Lakehurst."

" _Roger Navy two five oh. Squawk 3214 in IDET."_

"Navy two five oh, squawking 3214 in IDET," Farkle repeated as he adjusted the controls on his panel.

" _Say heading, two five oh. Advise when one hundred fifty DME from Lakehurst."_

"Roger. Heading three three zero, will remain on this frequency."

Once Farkle finished his communique, he looked at the sky in front of him. It was unusually dark, even though they knew about the upcoming storm. _Which can only mean one thing,_ he thought. "Cowboy," Farkle began, "it looks like that weather cell is approaching a lot sooner than the skipper thought."

After those words were out of his mouth, Farkle patched into Washington again. "Washington Center, this is Navy two five oh. Request deviation west for weather."

" _Navy two five oh, deviation approved. Let us know when you can steer to three three zero."_

"Roger," he replied. "Come left thirty degrees," he called up to Lucas.

"Come left thirty," he repeated as he shifted the fighter jet from its flight path.

"We have another cell in twenty miles. In one minute come back right ten degrees."

Lucas nodded. "Roger that. Griffin, recalculate fuel upon arrival of destination."

Farkle paused for a second to do the calculation quickly in his head. "Four thousand pounds."

"One hundred eighty miles… no problem," Lucas nodded.

The cockpit was silent for a couple of minutes as Lucas navigated around the storm cells. "Looks like we're going to have to run the gauntlet," he commented.

Before Farkle had any chance to respond, a loud explosion sounded throughout the plane, causing them to start to roll and jerk about. Both of the pilot's hearts started to pound rapidly in their chests as Lucas attempted to stable the F-14.

"What was that?!" Farkle asked, allowing the fear he was experiencing to be heard in his voice.

"I don't know…" Lucas replied, trying to keep his voice steady and his head clear as he gazed at his instrument panel. "I got a red light: flight system filter. Disengaging altitude hold."

Farkle's eyes widened involuntarily from shock. "Lucas, it's bumpy out here! Do you really want to fly her on your own?"

"No choice… Griffin, give me the most direct route to Lakehurst!"

 _Most direct? What is he crazy?!_ Farkle thought. "Lucas, that would mean going directly through it!"

"We can't hop it!" Lucas yelled. "We're low on oxygen!"

Farkle inhaled deeply to help calm himself. If they were going to make it through this situation, he had to be able to focus. "We're going to have to go around it before we can go back to three three one and Lakehurst."

"How long?"

Griffin looked at his instrument panel. "Ground speed is five hundred knots, estimate sixteen minutes on our present course."

Lucas nodded, but yet another flashing red light appeared on his panel. "We've lost PC1!"

"Turn off the roll pitching YAW stabilization systems!"

"Griffin, get us back on a direct path to Lakehurst," Lucas yelled as he executed his RIO's suggestion.

"Can't go straight through, change heading to three zero five, that way we can avoid the cell."

"Check with Washington Center," Lucas ordered.

"Washington Center, this is Navy two five oh. We're experiencing serous flight control problems!"

" _Roger two five oh. Are you declaring an emergency?"_

"Not at this time, Center," Lucas replied.

" _Roger two five oh. Negative radar contact. State position and altitude."_

"Position unknown," Farkle stated, while the words ' _this is not good_ ' floated about his mind. "Approximately one hundred twenty nautical south east of Andrews. Altitude one zero thousand."

" _Roger, can you return to the carrier?"_

"You're closer, Center," Farkle responded.

" _What are your intentions, two five oh?"_

"To continue inbound."

" _Roger, two five oh. Out."_

As Lucas brought the jet around to a new course, he said, "Better contact the carrier to advise them of the problems."

Farkle nodded as he began to raise the _Enterprise_ on the radio. "Enterprise…"

* * *

" _Enterprise, this is two five oh. We've lost PC1 and are experiencing flight control problems, over,"_ the radio controller heard come in over the radio.

"Roger, what is your position?" he responded.

The radio controller heard, _"Estimate on our position is three zero…"_ before the signal faded into static.

"Two five oh, do you copy?" he transmitted. No reply. "Two five oh, do you read?" he repeated. Again, there was no answer.

An officer approached him from behind. "Try the transponder again."

The radio controller shook his head as he watched their signal disappear off of the screen. "No IFF signal, sir. They're off the scope."

* * *

The combat officer picked up the phone and brought his CO up to speed on what had just occurred.

"Where are they?" the captain asked.

"Past two hundred fifty miles, sir. We've lost contact and the IFF signal."

"How did this happen?"

"Storm moved faster than predicted, sir."

The skipper nodded. "Thank you, Commander," he responded as he walked over to his station and radioed the air boss. "Boss, this is the captain. Assign crews for search and rescue. Prepare to launch a Seahawk and a Viking on my signal."

"Aye, sir."

* * *

"We have nothing but storm cells around us!" Farkle yelled as he looked down at his radar. Panic began to grip the young man's heart as the rain continued to pelt against the canopy.

Lucas looked down at his control panel and saw another flashing light. "We're losing PC2. Griffin, she's flying like a barrel. Recheck Oceania weather."

Farkle reached down and adjusted the radio's frequency to receive the weather report, hoping for any type of good news at this point.

" _This is Oceania metro reporting ceiling and visibility zero."_

He shook his head, "Closed."

"What about Center?"

"Already checking," Farkle replied as he began to adjust the radio once again.

" _This is Center reporting ceiling and visibility zero."_

"Nope!"

"Packs River is fifty miles closer than Andrews."

"Closed! Lakehurst is our best bet!"

Or so it was thought. Another explosion sounded, causing the fighter jet to sprawl across the skies even more.

"I don't have power!" Farkle shouted. "Generator's out!"

"Reset!"

Farkle flicked several switches to no avail. "Can't!"

"We've lost the electronics! Switching over to emergency IFF!"

"Squawking seven seven hundred! We've gone to four hundred knots!"

"We're going to have to fly her straight through!" Lucas announced.

"Cowboy, that'll put us in the center of the biggest thunderhead in the world!"

"I'm flying on grace right now!" Lucas replied. "I don't know how much longer I can keep us in the air!"

Farkle nodded as he collected himself again. He didn't want to have to eject, but that may be their only option soon. "Check the compass to get our heading."

Lucas turned on an emergency light and glanced at the bouncing compass. "Best bet… north, north west."

"Come left twenty degrees. Three hundred fifty knots, ten thousand feet."

* * *

"We have an emergency IFF signal, sir," the radio controller announced.

The commander walked over to the phone and raised the bridge. "Bridge, combat, we have an emergency signal three hundred miles north, north west, heading three four five."

"Roger that, Commander, keep me informed of any change in status."

"Aye, sir."

"Come to course three four five, all engines ahead two thirds," the captain notified the navigator. "Co-ops, notify the Coast Guard and the FAA that we're commencing search and rescue operations. And get the Air Boss to meet me in CIC."

* * *

"Griffin, what's the nearest point of land?" Lucas shouted.

"Estimate one hundred miles due east!"

Lucas shook his head. "She's not responding! We're going to have to punch out!"

"When do we go?"

"At five thousand."

Farkle nodded as he radioed, "Mayday, mayday! Navy two five oh one hundred miles east of Cape Fear." Once the distress call was sent, Farkle began preparations to eject. "Lock control of the harness!"

Lucas flicked a lever. "Lock!" he echoed

"Visor down!"

He brought the plastic visor down over his eyes. "Visor down!"

"Mask on!"

Lucas brought his oxygen mask over his nose and clicked it into place. "Mask on!"

"Lower seats!"

"Check!"

"Command ejection rear seat!"

Lucas shifted the lever back, giving ejection control to Farkle. Once the lever clicked into place, the jet began to jerk about even worse. "I've lost her! Eject us now!"

"Position yourself! See you down there, Friar!" Farkle said right before he pressed the ejection controls, forcing the canopy back and sending him into the air.

Lucas looked in front of him. His seat stayed right where it was, and the ocean was coming closer and closer to him as each second passed by. "Come on! Eject!" he shouted as he pulled the emergency ejection lever, sending him into the air a few seconds before the jet crashed into the sea.

Rain pelted up against him as his chute opened and Lucas began to descend towards the water. Once the cold water enveloped him, Lucas immediately became tangled in the cords of his parachute. With the combination of the choppy waters and the weight of the wet nylon, he felt his body being pulled underneath the waterline. He tried to unclip the chute from him as he tried to ignore the cold that began to seep into his bones, but the release refused to budge. Lucas struggled to get it free as he began to feel the pressure in his lungs build up; the need for air became stronger by the second. He quickly took off his helmet, allowing him a bit more room to maneuver. Lucas reached into one of his pockets, pulled out his switchblade, and cut the chute's cords. After the last cord was cut, Lucas inflated his life preserver, sending him to the surface. As soon as his face broke through the water, Lucas exhaled the breath he was holding, and quickly inhaled before another swell crashed down on top of him.

Lucas did his best to follow his training, but as he attempted to pull out the inflatable raft and his strobe, another swell rose and tried to take them away from him.

 _This is not good,_ he thought as he continued to fight with the violent waters.

 _ **A/N #2: La de de de daaa... well… how many of you guys hate me right now? Let me know what you thought!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: I'll cut to the chase and not leave much for an author's note.**_

Riley looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was swept up in a half up do, and she was wearing a cute sky blue sundress along with a white cardigan. The other night, her dad announced that they were going to be going out for a family dinner at a classy restaurant that Riley had never heard of before. When she first heard this, Riley was excited, but once her excitement toned down a bit, she thought about it. Why were they going? The only time they went out to an expensive style restaurant was for birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. Sure, Maya and Captain McCall (whom the Matthews family had grown to know quite well ever since he was transferred to the Lakehurst Naval Air Center) were going to be joining them, but was that enough of a reason? Or was there something more?

Her deliberation was soon interrupted by a sharp knock on her door. "Hey Riles, are you coming out or do I have to come in there after ya?" Maya called through the door.

Riley shook her head and let out a chuckle. "No, you don't have to come in here after me. I'll be out there in a minute."

She heard Maya groan at her words. "You said that five minutes ago!"

Riley stepped towards the door and opened it, revealing her best friend standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. "Happy now?" she asked.

Maya nodded. "Much. Now come on!" she replied, grabbing ahold of Riley's wrist and leading her into the living room where everyone else was waiting.

When she realized everyone was waiting for her, Riley blushed slightly. "Sorry, guys."

Cory shook his head. "Don't be. Now, is everyone ready to go?"

Everybody nodded, grabbed their coats from the coat rack, and they headed down to the cars. As they made their way to the curb, a gentle rain began to fall. The gentle rain turned to a drizzle, then the drizzle to a steady rain, then the steady rain turning to a down pour, and the down pour turning into a skin stinging wall of water... all within a moment from the rain starting.

Once the Matthews' family was piled into their car, Cory started the engine and followed Captain McCall to the restaurant. Most of the car ride was silent, which was quite shocking to Cory and Topanga. Usually Auggie and Maya would start arguing over something, or Riley and Maya would begin to talk about what was going on at work. But when Topanga looked at the back seat, she found all three of them looking out the window, watching the rain fall. Topanga knew her daughter liked the rain; however, she didn't realize how much it had a calming effect on Auggie or Maya as well. This was fine with her. Whatever silence she got to enjoy, she gladly took. She enjoyed hearing all of them have fun, but she marveled any peace and quiet the young adults allowed her to have.

The rest of the car ride didn't appear to take long, and the six friends headed inside. Once in the restaurant, the hostess led them to a private room, which Riley again found rather odd. Despite this, Riley didn't think anything of it. She actually thought it was rather nice. No screaming children running around; just peace and quiet.

"Your waiter should be here for your drink orders in a few minutes," the hostess said after she finished handing out the menus.

"Thank you," Mrs. Matthews responded.

As Riley began to look over the drinks, she heard the wind start to pick up outside, making the rain pelt against the windows, and it sent a chill down her spine. She didn't understand why that happened either; she had heard several storms that sounded similar to this one and they hadn't bothered her. So why did this one? It was as if her body was trying to tell her something, but she dismissed the thought and immersed herself in the atmosphere.

"Hey Riles, what are you thinking about getting?" Maya asked.

"I don't know," she responded as she focused her attention to the several different entre choices that were listed, many of which sounded delicious to her.

"I'm thinking about the marinated beef tenderloin. That or the calamari."

"Those sound really good…" Riley trailed. "But so does the tomato basil pasta."

"You can get something like that anywhere," Maya argued. "Get the one I don't order, that way we can split it!"

Riley laughed as she closed her menu and set it down in front of her. "Okay, I'll do that. Easy for me, then."

"Yes! Now, to decide which one I want…"

Riley rolled her eyes. "You still haven't decided? Good thing you still have a bit of time left to decide," she jested.

The waiter finally came over and started to take their drink orders. Riley and Maya ordered sweet tea, while everyone else had something else a bit more high end. Except Auggie that is, he just stayed with water.

After their waiter left with their drink orders, Captain McCall's cell phone started to ring. He picked it up and stood up to leave. "I'm sorry everyone, this could be the base telling me that I forgot to fill out some paperwork that needs to get done by tomorrow," he joked.

Everyone smiled. "No worries," Topanga replied. "Take your time."

"Excuse me," McCall said as he stepped away from the table and took the call.

The waiter soon returned with the drinks. "Would you like to wait to place your order until your other party member returns?"

"If you don't mind," Cory answered.

"No problem, please take your time," the waiter smiled as he headed back out to check on some of his other tables.

"Alright, that gives me more time to decide," Maya said half-jokingly.

"You still haven't decided?" Riley asked again.

Maya bit her lip and set her menu down. "Just did. Tenderloin."

The group continued to chat for a few minutes before Captain McCall approached the table again, his cheerful face now replaced with one of concern. He stopped at his chair, but remained standing as he cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention.

Everyone looked up at him, but their smiles were slowly replaced with worry when they saw their friend's expression.

"Is everything alright?" Cory asked.

Before McCall answered, fear gripped Riley's heart. All the little things that seemed off had something to do with what he was about to say. She didn't know how she knew, but she did… and she didn't like it.

The captain inhaled deeply before he replied, his strong voice now soft as he spoke. "The call I took was from the skipper of the _Enterprise._ Both Lucas and Farkle were flying an F-14 to Lakehurst; however, they encountered some difficulties on their flight inbound. They are believed to have gone down at sea."

The pleasant mood that once filled the room had disappeared, as if it never existed a few moments ago. All eyes fell upon Maya and Riley. Maya bit her lip, and appeared to be on the verge of tears. It was never easy to find out that one of your best childhood friends is in grave danger, and there's nothing you can do about it. She turned to look at her best friend, knowing that she must be having it worse than she was. Not only was one of her friends lost, but also the love of her life.

But Riley's face did not reveal any emotion, nor did she speak. The only action that revealed anything to the others in the room on how she was feeling was the steady drain of color from her face.

 _ **A/N #2: Let me know what you thought of it! Until next time!**_


	8. Chapter 8

"…They are believed to have gone down at sea."

The words that were spoken hit Riley right in the heart; they hit so hard that it made her heart ache. _Gone down at sea… encountered some difficulties,_ continued to ring through her mind, and there was nothing Riley could do to get those words out of her brain. It was as if they were like a sound wave bouncing off of a flat surface, but this echo kept growing louder instead of dying down like it was supposed to. She felt several eyes fall upon her as she felt the blood draining from her face. _This can't be happening! No, no, no!_ Riley protested to herself.

She didn't know how long the silence hung over the room before she finally spoke. "Why would they be flying in this weather? It's a mad house out there! Shouldn't have all the planes been grounded until the storm let up? I know that sometimes they don't get to choose the weather they fly in, but…" she trailed, not able to find anymore words.

Captain McCall crossed his arms and nodded. "Usually, that would have been the case. But the storm came faster than forecasted," he explained. "It was supposed to start after they were scheduled to land at Lakehurst."

Riley shook her head, refusing to believe that her entire world might shatter before her eyes. "Why didn't he tell me he was coming?" she asked as her voice began to waiver. "He promised me that we would see each other if he was close by," she continued, her attention now focused on her parents. Riley saw them turn towards each other and look into each other's eyes, as if they were speaking to the other without any need for words.

Finally, Cory turned to his daughter and placed one of his hands on hers. "He wanted to surprise you, sweetie," he said gently. "That's why he didn't tell you."

Riley closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying desperately to keep her emotions hidden. Tears began to burn her eyes, but she kept her eyelids closed to prevent them from spilling over. She didn't know which was worse, knowing he was coming and then having him go down, or what she was experiencing right now. Frankly, she wished she didn't have to know either situation. But here she was, living one of her worst nightmares. Riley felt all the worry, sadness, and frustration starting to build up inside her chest, threatening to spill over at any minute. It didn't matter that she was with family at the moment; she didn't allow _anyone_ to see her cry.

"If you'll excuse me," Riley whispered as she stood up and attempted to make her way to the bathroom. That way, she'd have a bit of privacy. But she didn't make it five feet from her chair when all the emotions inside of her chest seemed to explode, and it was way too much for her body to handle. Riley collapsed onto the floor, letting out a pain filled gasp once she hit the floor.

Everyone rushed over to Riley's side, Maya being the first one there followed by Captain McCall. Her body was shaking with sobs as hot tears spilled down her face. Riley's arms were wrapped around her body as if she were trying to offer herself some comfort.

Maya got down on her knees and took ahold of one of Riley's hands. "Riley… Riley, come on girl," she said to her best friend to try and calm her down, but it didn't work to her avail. Her best friend remained where she was as her breathing became more and more irregular.

Captain McCall knelt on the other side of Riley and helped her into a sitting position. Once Riley was somewhat up, Maya wrapped her into a hug. Riley returned it, but in doing so, her grip on her best friend was rather strong. Maya gritted her teeth in order to keep herself from yelping. That was the last thing Riley needed right now, and to be honest, at the moment Maya didn't care that her ribs were being squeezed. It was the least of her worries.

"Come on, Riley," she repeated. "Breathe with me, come on… deep breaths."

At first it didn't look like Riley was listening, and Maya was afraid that she was going to pass out from hyperventilating. If anything, if Riley did pass out, it would help her breathing return to normal; however, that was a last resort in Maya's book. But after a couple of more minutes, Riley's breathing started to even out.

By the time that happened, Captain McCall gave their waiter the bare details of what had happened, and that their orders were now going to be to go.

The captain crouched down to Riley's level. "If you want, we could head to my office to keep track of what's going on. Is that okay?"

Riley closed her eyes and nodded. She felt like she should have answered verbally, but she just wasn't up to it at the moment. After she responded, she heard the adults converse amongst themselves for a while, and then McCall returned to her.

"We're going to head over to the base. Your dad and brother are going to wait for our dinner and then head over once it's done."

Again Riley nodded as Maya helped her to her feet. The two friends, McCall, and Mrs. Matthews gathered their things and piled into the captain's car. It was about an hour trip from the restaurant to the base, and Riley was silent for the whole journey, which worried everyone. The only time she would make any sort of sound was when either her mom or Maya would ask how she was doing. Even then they were lucky if they got one or two words from her. The rest of the time, Riley was focusing on the rain that was pelting the car's windows.

All she wanted was an update on Lucas and Farkle. Riley was worried about both of them, but her mind was mostly on Lucas. She felt bad for it, but she couldn't get her mind to focus on both of them. Maybe it was because Lucas was something more. _But still,_ Riley thought _, I've known Farkle all of my life!_

Riley leaned her head up against the head rest and closed her eyes. _Please,_ she prayed, _please let them be okay. Please… I don't know what I'd do if I lost one of them. Let alone both…_

 _ **A/N: More information on how the boys are doing next time! See you then!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Vocab:**_

 **SAR:** _ **Search and rescue aircraft**_

Riley sat in the corner of Captain McCall's office, resting her elbows on her knees while her hands supported her head. The past hour had been a blur, and her mind was still a muddled mess as she thought about what happened to Lucas and Farkle. She prayed that they would be found soon, before the storm got any worse out there. Her eyes drifted to the empty chair beside her. Maya had just gotten up a minute ago to get them both something to drink. Or was it closer to five minutes? Quite frankly, Riley couldn't remember and she didn't really care at the moment.

The rest of her family and Captain McCall were out in the common area of the office. She realized that in times like this, she could rely on her family to comfort her, but for some reason Riley would only let Maya anywhere near her. Perhaps it was because they were sharing a similar experience, or because Riley trusted Maya with information she never told her family. Whatever it was, Riley didn't know.

Both of her parents and McCall would come in every few minutes to check on the both of them. Riley would merely shrug them off and tell them she was fine, but they all knew she wasn't. The only time she would be, would be if they found them alive.

 _No, not if…_ when, Riley tried to convince herself, but who was she kidding? She eavesdropped on Captain McCall telling her parents that finding one, let alone both, in this type of weather wasn't the best of odds.

The sound of hurried footsteps coming towards her reached her ears. Riley looked up and saw a worried yet hopeful Maya standing in the doorway. "They found one of them," she breathed.

Riley shot up from her chair and followed Maya to the rest of the group. When they first arrived at the office, Captain McCall set up one of the phones on speaker so everyone could hear what was going on when the skipper of the _Enterprise_ called them again.

She could hear the sounds of the storm coming over the phone's speaker, sending a chill down her spine.

" _We have a raft,"_ the pilot of the Viking announced.

" _They have something, Capitan_ ," the skipper radioed to them. _"Coordinates."_

" _Thirty eight degrees thirty seven minutes north latitude; seventy four degrees thirty four minutes west longitude."_

" _Vector the SAR aircraft,_ " Riley heard the _Enterprise's_ captain order.

" _Weather is getting worse,"_ the air boss' voice informed. _"The chopper could be outside the safe recovery zone."_

" _We'll reevaluate once we get to the scene. Prime flight vector the SAR bird."_

A long pause came over the phone, making Riley wonder if something happened. Had they found one of them, or both? Did something happen to the search and rescue team? But the skipper's voice soon came back over the radio, making her feel a bit of relief.

" _Viking, what's your speed."_

" _One hundred ten knots, one hundred feet."_

" _That's low and slow,"_ the skipper thought aloud.

" _It is, sir."_

" _Be careful, Paddles."_

" _Yes, sir. I'm going to drop flares for the Angel."_

" _Viking three oh four, this is Angel two one, what is your location?"_

" _I'm directly over them, Angel. I'll give you vectors in. Heading three five oh, three miles."_

" _Roger Viking."_

" _Got a strobe, I'm on top of it now."_

" _Angel, this is the captain, how's the weather?"_

" _Uh, ceiling is one hundred feet; swells now about thirty."_

" _How lucky do you feel, lieutenant?"_

" _Piece of cake, skipper."_

Riley's heartbeat filled her ears as she heard the chopper lowering. _It's okay,_ she thought. _They're going to be alright… they're going to be alright,_ she repeated to herself, no matter how much she didn't believe it.

" _We got him, we got him,"_ the lieutenant announced, making Riley's heart jump into her throat. One of them was safe, and one should be nearby. That's how it worked, right? They should find the other one soon if all worked out. _"Swimmer's in the water. He's coming up."_

" _Secure that hoist!"_ someone shouted in the background.

" _It's Griffin, sir."_

" _Any sign of Friar?"_ the CO asked.

Another pause filled the room before the pilot of the Viking answered. _"No."_

" _Where is Lieutenant Friar?"_ one of the crewmen asked Farkle. _"Did you see him?"_

All of them heard Farkle's voice mutter something, but it was impossible for them to decipher what he said over the speaker amongst his coughing.

" _Farkle didn't see him eject sir, which means he could be another fifteen to twenty miles in any direction."_

Cory wrapped an arm around Riley's shoulder as her mouth fell agape. A physical ache started to spread through her heart, making her feel completely numb. More tears stung her eyes as her mind tried to wrap around what she just heard. _No… no, no, no! This can't be happening right now! It_ has _to be a dream… someone please wake me up!_

A gust of wind came over the loud speaker, along with the sound of the chopper's engine groaning as it struggled to maintain its course.

" _What's happening, Angel?"_

" _We are getting pushed around, sir!"_

" _Can you keep her in the air?"_

" _I'm trying, sir. I'm trying!"_

The ship's captain paused. _"Viking, take another sweep of the area before coming back. We'll try again when the storm lets up."_

"What?!" Riley blurted. "But what about Lucas? He's still down there; you can't give up on him yet!"

Captain McCall raised his hand to try and stop Riley, only if for a moment. "Thank you, skipper. Please inform us of any other information you may come up with."

" _Will do,"_ the captain responded just before McCall hung up the phone.

"How can you just let them stop the search when Lucas is still down there?!" Riley shouted.

"Riley…" Cory trailed, trying to help her calm down.

Captain McCall turned to face her. "I understand what you're going through right now, but what good is it going to do Lucas if they find him but can't rescue him under current conditions?"

As more tears filled her eyes, Riley simply nodded. She knew that she wasn't able to think clearly given the circumstances, but she still wished something more could be done at the moment.

"Don't worry, Riley," the aviator consoled. "They'll find him."

She nodded again before she turned around and headed back into the office. As much as she wanted to believe him, he wasn't sure. She could tell by his tone of voice. He wanted to believe it himself, but he couldn't. No one was sure on how Lucas was doing right now. No matter how much she wanted to believe their words, she couldn't.

Riley slumped down into the chair and wrapped her arms around her legs. Farkle was okay, but she couldn't let herself be happy. Not while Lucas was still out there, still fighting for his life. As time continued to crawl forward, Riley allowed the tears to fall down her face.

 _ **A/N: One of the boys is safe, one is still missing… what do you think will happen next? See you soon!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Two things before you begin. 1) hold on and 2)**_ **remember** _ **what I've written in the past.  
**_

 ** _Special note: Line breaks are POV switches._**

Lucas coughed as another wave came crashing down over him. It was a hard enough struggle to try and stay above water so he wouldn't drown. However, his legs were growing tired from treading water. He was trained to tread for at least a half hour, but that mark had past long ago. Lucas wasn't even sure how long he was in the water now. Two, possibly close to three hours. He had lost track of all time soon after the waves pushed him away from his raft, which was now long gone. Every chance he could, Lucas looked around for anything. Something to grab onto, a search plane or helicopter, anything! But he knew one thing for sure. As the cold began to seep into his bones, the struggle to keep his muscles moving became harder and harder. It became more and more difficult to stay focused on his current task and to keep his eyes open. Which only meant one thing.

He didn't have much time left.

* * *

Farkle squeezed his eyes shut as the skipper and his executive officer began to calculate where Lucas might be. He had already come up with the answer long before the XO, but he didn't bother to say anything. Farkle desperately wanted to be anywhere but sickbay. Anywhere where he could help find his best friend, but he was grounded to this miserable excuse for a bed until he had recovered enough.

"…which would put him anywhere in this region," the XO indicated on his map.

"That's eighteen hundred square miles, sir," Farkle said weakly, making him realize that maybe the chief medical officer hadn't gone overboard with his orders for recovery.

The skipper nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and his thumb. "The storm is easing up; let's try another go to find him."

OoOoO

It had been another half hour since the search had started up again. However, the search and rescue crew had no luck in finding him.

" _We're not picking up an emergency beacon, sir. We'd have to pass within fifty meters to find him,"_ the pilot of the Viking announced.

The captain sighed. "What about your radar, Commander?"

" _Fuzzed out, sir. Sea state is too high. We're picking up spray."_

* * *

They had found Farkle about an hour ago and took him back to the Enterprise's sick bay. From what they could tell, he appeared to be okay. To Riley, it seemed as if they had found him more than an hour ago; time was just moving by so slowly for her. And as the time passed, the less and less Riley believed that Lucas was going to be okay. Even when the two of them first met, they seemed to have a connection on whether or not the other was alright. Right now, that connection was degrading.

Footsteps soon entered the fog she was in. Riley looked up to see Maya standing a few feet away from her, trying to give her her best comforting smile.

"You know, with Farkle found, Lucas shouldn't be that far off. They'll find him in no time," Maya said as she sat down right next to Riley.

Riley, however, didn't share Maya's optimism. "It's been over an hour, Maya. If he was nearby, they would have found him by now. And it's not looking good for him from what I've heard…" she trailed.

"Riles, you don't talk like this, remember? I'm the one that has no hope. You're the one that always has hope no matter what."

The brunette shook her head and leaned back in her chair. "I'm just being realistic."

"Come on, Riles," Maya consoled as she placed a comforting hand on her best friend's shoulder. "He'll be okay."

"How can you know that? He's lost in the middle of the ocean! _Nobody_ knows that!"

* * *

"Going below cloud deck," the Viking announced as it headed to a new search coordinate. "I'm at one hundred feet. Visibility low. Commencing search…" he trailed as he scanned the ocean's pitching sea. "Nothing…" he said after a few moments, but something soon caught his eye. "Got something! Drop the SAR buoy!"

As the SAR buoy was deployed, the Viking started to circle the area.

" _Viking, what do you have?"_ the skipper asked.

"Stand by, sir," the aviator said as he tried to get a better look at what he had seen.

" _Viking, do you read?"_

"Aye sir…" he trailed as he felt his heart begin to sink. "It's an empty raft, sir. There's no one in the water."

There was a pause over the radio before the skipper spoke again. _"Make another pass, then move on."_

* * *

Lucas looked up in the sky and saw a large object start to fly towards him. He narrowed his eyes to try and get a better look at it through all the spray. _A Viking!_ his mind clicked.

As the plane flew over him, Lucas tried to shout out to it. However, it kept on its course and started to disappear from Lucas' vision.

* * *

Captain McCall bit his lip after the skipper told him what had just happened. _"We'll continue to search, but I don't think I have to explain what an empty raft indicates."_

He sighed as he sat down in a chair beside the phone. "Thanks for trying, skipper. Please call us if there are any changes."

" _Will do. Out."_

McCall hung up the phone and looked up into the eyes of a worried Topanga and Cory Matthews.

"Are you going to tell Riley?" Cory asked.

The captain shook his head. "No… even though his raft was found, there's still a chance he's still out there and they'll find him. I'll inform her only when something definite comes."

The two parents nodded. "I just wish there was something we could do to help them," Topanga muttered.

"There's one thing," Captain McCall answered. "Pray."

* * *

Lucas spat out a mouthful of salt water as he allowed the currents to take him wherever they wanted to. He had given up treading water long ago; he just didn't have enough energy left in him to try and keep himself above the water's surface anymore, let alone keep his eyelids open.

As he continued to bob in the choppy waves, a large metallic object brushed up against him. Lucas opened his eyes and grabbed it. It was cylinder in shape underneath his touch, and its shape was very familiar.

 _SAR buoy_ , he concluded.

His hand reached up to the buoy's side and found the emergency transmitter that was built into it. Lucas pressed the transmit button and used whatever strength that was left in him to speak.

"Is anybody out there?" he coughed. "Can you read me? Help… help!"

* * *

" _Is anybody out there...? Can you read me? Help… help!"_ one of the Viking's crewmembers picked up over her radio. At first she thought it was some static from the storm due to the weakness in the voice, but now it was clear that it was someone calling for help.

"Commander!" she shouted. "I've got something!"

" _Can you read me?! Help! Help!"_

* * *

Riley anxiously sat in Captain McCall's office, waiting on any updates on Lucas. She heard the phone ring a little while ago, but no one had told her anything about the conversation that took place, and it worried her. Her eyes drifted over towards Maya. She hadn't moved from her seat since the last time they had gotten any sort of update, which she was thankful for. Even though they didn't say much to each other over the past couple of hours, it was still nice to have her by her side.

As time ticked on, Riley closed her eyes and prayed for the umpteenth time that night. _Lord, please let him be alright; please bring him back to me._

Once she finished her prayer, the sound of footsteps approaching the desk reached her ears. She lifted her head to see Captain McCall standing a few feet away from her. Both she and Maya eagerly stood up and scanned his face to try and gather any information. "Girls, you're going to want to hear this," he said before heading back out into the common area.

The two ladies dashed out behind him, eager to hear what he had found out.

"I just got off the phone with the skipper of the Enterprise. It appears that the Viking has picked up Lucas' voice that was being transmitted over a SAR buoy," he announced.

Auggie raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"A search and rescue buoy with a radio transmitter," the captain explained.

"Does that mean they know where he is?" Maya asked hopefully.

"They can home in on his signal. The Viking and SAR helo are on the way."

For the first time in a while, Riley spoke. "How long has he been in the water?"

"Over three hours," McCall answered.

"And the survival time under present conditions?" she continued.

Captain McCall sighed. "About that long."

* * *

" _He's no longer transmitting, Angel,"_ the Viking announced.

"Viking, this is Angel, we're not finding him. The sea state is too great."

" _Can you get lower?"_ the skipper asked.

"I'm already below the minimum, but I'm taking her down," the aviator replied. He and his copilot scanned the area, but didn't see anything. "There's still no sign of him. Initiating one thousand meter search," he radioed as he brought the helicopter to a higher altitude.

* * *

Lucas looked up and saw the helo hovering over an area relatively close by. Again, he shouted to no avail. As he saw it start to pull away, he gathered his remaining strength, swallowed, and reached to his belt. _Oh no… you're not getting away again,_ he thought to himself as he pulled out his pistol and started firing into the air.

* * *

Bright flashes came over the Angel's pilot's vision. He turned his head and saw where it was coming from. "I see muzzle flashes! Someone's down there, I'm turning back," he radioed. The aviator pulled the helo over towards where the gunfire was coming from, looked down, and smiled. "There he is!"

" _What are the conditions, Angel?"_ the air boss asked.

"There are twenty foot swells," he reported.

" _Can you get him?"_ the skipper radioed.

"We're going to put a swimmer in the water," he explained as he began to lower the aircraft towards the water.

"Take me down!" the swimmer shouted as the rescue crew lowered him closer and closer to Lucas. "Bring us right," he shouted. "Bring us right… bring us left!" It wasn't long before he was in the water right beside the lieutenant. "Hold us steady right here!" After another moment, he had Lucas hooked onto his harness and gave the thumbs up to bring them back up. "Keep us steady! Steer clear!" he shouted.

Once Lucas was on board, the helicopter started its way back to the ship. "We got him, skipper!"

" _Bravo, all hands."_

* * *

"Gangway! Clear corridors!" the medical team shouted as they rushed Lucas to sickbay. Ever since they pulled him out of the water, he was unconscious, making the little time they had to try and save him very precious.

Once through the doors to sickbay, the core men set him on one of the available beds while the medical officers started shouting orders.

"Prep a thermal angel!" one of them began.

One of the core men bit his lip. "He's ice cold."

The doctor who ordered the thermal angel shook his head as he checked Lucas' vitals. "He's severely hypothermic. Get him out of these clothes."

As another core man obeyed him, a nurse reported, "Body temperature is at thirty degrees Celsius and falling."

"Put him on a heart cardiac monitor," the chief medical officer said. "Also, get him some warm blankets and a heated liter of normal saline. Pulse and rhythm?"

"It's junctional at forty five," the nurse responded as she placed an oxygen mask over Lucas' nose.

"Give him one milligram of atropine IV."

"Saline ready?"

"Ready."

"Go!"

Despite their efforts, one of the core men shook his head as he looked at the monitors. "Respiration is falling fast."

The CMO bit back a curse and grabbed ahold of Lucas' shoulders, thinking of only the last resort. "Lieutenant… come on! Stay with me!" he pleaded as he shook the aviator's shoulders to no avail. "I'm not getting through to him…"

* * *

Captain McCall hung up the phone as he felt some relief spread over his body. "By the grace of God, Lucas has been rescued."

A huge sigh filled the room, but the hopefulness that it brought fell once McCall continued. "However, he's in the fourth stage of hypothermia."

Riley gulped. "How bad is that?"

"It's pretty serious."

"Will he make it?" she asked as she tried to choke back a sob.

"We can only hope."

* * *

"We got a diminishing pulse here!"

"Come on, Lucas!" the CMO practically shouted. "Stay with me!"

"Respiration is still falling," a core man reported.

The chief medical officer sighed. "We're out of options…" he trailed.

"Can I try?" a voice asked. The medical team turned around to see Farkle slowly making his way over to them.

After pausing for a brief moment, the CMO nodded. "Get him talking."

Farkle approached his best friend and placed a hand on Lucas' arms. He nearly pulled back at how cold his skin felt. It felt like ice under his touch, but ignored it as he grabbed ahold of his best friend's wrist, hoping to offer him _some_ warmth.

"Lucas… come on, Lucas. It's me. You know you wanna wake up… and not just for your best friend. While I don't want have to train a new fighter jock, you can't do this to her. Riley is _waiting_ for you back home. And you can't marry her if you're gone! Think of what this will do to her!"

"Temperature is still dropping."

"Lucas, can you hear me?!" Farkle shouted.

A sharp tone filled the room. "He's bradycardic," the nurse reported.

"Come on, Lucas! Don't do this to her!"

But he didn't respond. Only the tones of the heart monitor offered any sort of noise in the room.

 _Beep… beep… beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep_

The slow beeping from the heart monitor turned into a steady hum.

"Flat line!" the CMO shouted as he shoved Farkle out of the way, and everyone in the room started to buzz with orders and compliances.

Farkle couldn't believe what was happening. Everything around him had turned into a blur. It was as if he was watching the world come to a standstill. Doctors shouting orders. The core men and nurse responding with remarkable speed. Sudden jolts. More shouts. Tears began to spill down Farkle's face as he realized what was happening to Lucas. _Come on! You can't do this!_

The next thing Farkle remembered hearing were the words of the chief medical officer. "Time of death…"

 _ **A/N #2: Again, remember what I've written in the past. Depending on how people react, I may update early so no one kills me. Until next time, dear ones.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Due to the reaction from the last chapter, Saturday's update is being uploaded today. The following has some religious tones in it. What happens here will be briefly mentioned again in a later chapter, but if you don't want to read it, you can skip to the paragraph after the one that ends in "…much of My work."**_

 _Lucas felt as if he was floating. No, floating wasn't the right word, but it was a close as he could describe what he was feeling at the moment. It was like he was at a single point, but everywhere all at once. For some reason, he felt that if he had experienced this at any other time or place, he would be scared. But now, he felt at ease… comfortable. All the pain that he felt a few moments (or what he thought was a few moments ago) had vanished. He no longer felt cold, nor was he over heated. In fact, he felt better than he had in years. The slight ache that he had in his shin every once in a while thanks to a bar fight a few years ago – gone. If he were under normal circumstances, he would have been worried. But he knew once he arrived here – where ever here was – he wasn't in any normal circumstances._

 _He found himself facing, or was surrounded (he couldn't tell which no matter how hard he tried), by a bright light, almost making this whole experience very dream like. Somehow, this Light what brighter than what was surrounding him. Out of instinct, he looked down, no matter how much he yearned to look at Him, he forced himself to keep his focus downward. For some reason, he felt that he shouldn't be worthy enough to look at Him. Suddenly, he felt very dirty and ashamed._

" _Look at me, Son of Adam," the Light's deep voice boomed, but despite its strength, the Voice was also gentle._

 _Reluctantly, Lucas looked up at where the Voice was coming from. Somehow, he was able to handle the brightness of what he was looking at and not become blinded._ How is this even possible? _he thought._

" _That is not a question I can answer for you at this time," the Light responded._

 _Shock filled Lucas' being. "You can hear my thoughts?" he managed to say, feeling unworthy to be speaking to Him._

 _He saw the Light move as if He were nodding. "Not just yours, Son of Adam."_

 _Confusion spread throughout Lucas. "I'm not sure I understand."_

 _A soft chuckle came from the Light, sending a pleasant warm feeling throughout Lucas' being. "You will in time, dear one. But now is not your time to understand all of My mysteries. It is not time for you to enter My country, the eternal resting spot. You still have much to do in your world, much of My work."_

 _Lucas was still confused by the Light's words, but he felt a breeze come over him before he could ask anything else. The scenery before him changed. He was no longer surrounded by light, but was looking over an office. Several people filled it, and they were all surrounding a small table in the center of the room. It took him a moment for him to realize what he was looking at._

 _All of them wore looks of worry, as if they were waiting with baited breath for any sort of news. He recognized them, but he couldn't recall any of their names at all! Everything that he had experienced before his encounter was still rather hazy. All he wished he could do was comfort them, especially the young brunette who appeared to be the most on edge, but he couldn't understand why. He knew them all! But from where…? He wracked his memories to try and recall them, but nothing came to him._

 _The room faded away, and another room came before Lucas' eyes. And then Lucas saw it… or rather, himself lying on the examination table, not moving. Several people stood in the room, most of them were near him, and a few others were standing off to the side._

 _The medical personnel were removing certain medical equipment from the area, despite the protests of another young man Lucas recognized. He appeared to be shouting at an officer, probably the CMO, as he tried to comfort the young man, but that young man didn't want anything to do with what that officer was suggesting. It was as if that young man was in shock, and Lucas was curious as to why._

 _One of the nurses clutched to a clipboard nervously as she watched the conversation unfold between the two officers._

 _It was then that Lucas looked over at himself, and then he realized the heart monitor standing beside his body._

 _A single unwavering line cut across the screen._

 _But before he could put everything that had happened since this encounter started together in his mind, he gasped…_

…and his eyes snapped open to reveal the sickbay ceiling hanging above him as his lungs filled with much needed air. His body ached all over, and his teeth chattered violently as his body tried to warm itself up. All his mind could muster was how much he wanted the pain to go away, but he couldn't find his voice to let anyone know.

"Commander!" a core man shouted somewhere nearby Lucas. "You better take a look at this!"

The chief medical officer rushed back over to Lucas' side and a look of relief came over his features as he made contact with him. "Lieutenant?" he asked.

Lucas slowly blinked as he looked up at the medic. "Sir?" he whispered, just barely audible to anyone's ears.

The CMO smiled as he looked up at one of the nurses. "Oxygen," he ordered.

Once the oxygen mask was fitted over his nose, Lucas let out a sigh. His mind was muddled, but he now knew that he was going to be okay.

The young man Lucas saw earlier now stood beside him as well. He couldn't quite make out what he was trying to say to him, but he was wearing a smile on his face, which to Lucas, was what was important.

As he closed his eyes, sleep gently encompassed him, and his body welcomed it gratefully especially after all that had happened.

 _ **A/N: What did you think? I foreshadowed a bit of what is to come, so let's see if you guys catch it :) Until next time!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: Alright, we're back to the regular Wednesday/ Saturday update schedule for those of you who survived the ride. Now, onward!**_

Riley felt her heart pound against her ribcage as the plane landed in Virginia. Once they got word that Lucas was okay, Captain McCall made arrangements so Riley, Maya, and himself would be there soon after Lucas arrived at Bethesda Naval hospital. Needless to say, Riley was nervous about seeing him. All they knew was that he survived. They didn't receive any information on his current condition, but from what Riley gathered, he was probably in pretty bad shape. How else would he be after spending several hours tossing through choppy waves? Definitely not unscathed, that much was certain.

As the plane began to taxi, Riley looked over at Maya. She had helped her so much during these past few days; to her, it was amazing at how Maya held up through it all. But right now, she seemed to be showing her true colors on this whole matter. A mix of worry, grief, and relief was painted over her face. It worried Riley at how much had slipped by her in the past few days, especially with her best friend!

Even though she felt bad about not 'being there' so to speak for her best friend, she could hear Maya's voice echo throughout her mind.

 _Don't you dare feel bad about this! You've been there for me so many times in the past, and while we both were in a bit of a bind, you needed it more than anyone._

Riley shook her head and placed a hand on Maya's shoulder. This action caught her best friend off guard and caused her to jump slightly as she turned towards Riley.

"You okay?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah, just really tired… especially after this whole ordeal."

"If you need to talk about what you went through, you know I'm here for you."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Maya smiled. "And don't worry. If I need to talk about it, you'll be the first one I will call. And right now… I'm fine."

Riley nodded, but she wasn't quite convinced that her best friend was fine. Maya was giving her the benefit of the doubt considering Riley nearly lost _two_ of her closest friends in the period of a day, but Maya still nearly lost a dear friend in high school. However, there's something that Riley had grown to know about Maya since they first met when they were young. She wasn't going to talk until she was ready. And right now, she wasn't ready.

OoOoO

Everyone walked down the hallway towards Lucas' room as the doctor helped put his condition into perspective for them.

"The CAT scan revealed minor swelling on the Lieutenant's right frontal lobe. As a result, he's suffering from a pre incidental neurological deficit."

Captain McCall let out a small groan. "In English, please?"

"It's retrograde amnesia," the doctor explained as they all slowed to a halt. "He'll have some memory loss previous to the trauma."

Riley bit her lip. "Is that normal?" she asked.

"In thirty percent of the cases, yes," the doctor nodded.

It was Maya's turn to jump in. "Will he know us?"

"It's hard to predict," he continued. "He seems to be able to recall the distant past…"

"And the recent past?" Riley interrupted.

He shrugged. "I'd say it's shaky. We're hoping it's temporary, but we'll know for sure once the swelling subsides. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish my rounds."

As the doctor left, another set of footsteps approached the group from behind. Riley and Maya turned around to see Farkle walking towards them. The two young women ran up to him and engulfed him in a bear hug, grateful to be with their high school friend.

"How are you doing?" Riley asked.

"Are you okay?" Maya added.

He nodded as he returned the embrace, happy to be with them again. "Yeah, I'm fine. They just cleared me about an hour ago… have you gone in to see Lucas yet?"

Riley shook her head. "No, they were just informing us about his condition. I'm just so happy that he pulled through."

Maya watched as Farkle bit the inside of his cheek, causing some alarm to go off inside her. "Yeah, yeah… that he is," he trailed, pausing for a brief moment before he continued. "Look, Riley, why don't you go in to see him first?"

She looked at the three friends and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah, go on ahead."

A small smile made its way onto Riley's lips as she turned towards the door. But before her hand fell on the door handle, she froze.

After a few moments of silence, Maya spoke. "What is it, Riles?"

"I-I'm scared," she stuttered as a wave of emotions came over her. "I know what the doctor said, but I'm not sure what to expect in there."

Maya walked up to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't freak out, everything will be okay. Just expect Lucas behind that door. No matter what happens, he's still your Lucas."

Riley nodded and headed through the door. Once the door had shut behind her, Maya crossed her arms and walked over to Farkle. "So, what do you know?"

Farkle raised an eyebrow at her question. "What are you talking about?"

"When Riley said she was happy that Lucas pulled through, you bit the inside of your cheek. The angle you were at was far enough to hide it from Riley, but not from me. So spill it, what do you know about what happened to Lucas during that night?"

The young lieutenant froze as the memories from what he saw that night came flooding back to the front of his mind. Lucas' diminishing pulse and breathing rate. His falling body temperature. Nothing able to bring him back up to the land of the living, despite all of the medical team's efforts. The flat line that echoed through sickbay. All of the shouts and sounds of electricity being sent through his friend's body. The flat line persisting. The CMO calling for the time of death. At least five minutes of arguing with him to keep trying, along with the hot tears that spilled down his face. And then, by some miracle, Lucas gasping for a much needed breath, and the room filling with hope once again.

Farkle sighed as he pulled himself out of the sea of memories. "Nothing that needs to be brought up at this point. He's fine now, that all that matters at the moment."

"Are you sure?" Maya asked as she raised an eyebrow. "Because if you need to talk about it, I'm here for you."

He nodded. "I know, and some day, I may take you up on that."

 _ **A/N #2: Let me know what you thought of it! We'll see the gang visiting with Lucas next chapter. See you then!**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Vocab  
**_ **Missing Man:** _ **formation flown at military funerals for aviators. Planes fly over the cemetery, and at a certain point one of the planes pulls up into the sky, away from the others. YouTube link: /watch?v=szSyyCSf8ws**_

Lucas awoke to the sound of the door opening and the pain in his head throbbing. However, the discomfort seemed to fade away once he saw who opened his door. A smile spread across his lips as he and Riley made eye contact. Once the door was closed behind her, she returned the smile and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hi," she spoke quietly.

"Hey," Lucas responded weakly. "You know you can come closer… I won't break," he lightly teased.

Riley's smile grew as she approached the side of the bed. "So, how are you feeling?"

Lucas looked around the room a bit. "A bit foggy… but all things considered, I'd say pretty good, especially now that you're here. Quite frankly, I didn't expect to see you here so soon."

She raised an eyebrow as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Weren't you going to go visit your grandparents? You mentioned it last week."

Riley bit the inside of her cheek as she sat on the edge of the bed. She had mentioned that just after he started this deployment on the _Enterprise_ … about three months ago, soon after he surprised her. Despite the doctor's warning, it still hurt Riley a bit that he had forgotten so much. _Now what do I do? Do I let him know or just humor him?_

It seemed that her mouth had decided for her for she responded, "Yeah, well… certain things take priority."

"How did your dad take that?"

"Rather well. In fact, he insisted." _Which is true, my dad did insist I come._

Lucas took ahold of her hand and kissed it. "That was nice of him."

"Well, he knows how important you are to me."

After a few more moments, the door opened again, and Maya's voice boomed. "Sheesh, we just can't leave you two alone, can we?" she asked as both she and Farkle entered.

Riley rolled her eyes as she moved to get up, but Lucas silently refused and kept a tight hold on her hand. It shocked her to feel that much strength coming from him considering all that he'd been through, but as she looked back down at him, he looked drained. He was probably using all the strength he could muster to keep her where she was.

"So, how's the soaring eagle doin'?" Maya asked.

"Grounded," he replied, allowing his eyes to narrow slightly at her.

"Better that than the missing man," Farkle commented.

Lucas shifted his line of sight to the right corner of the base board of his bed. "Yeah… that it is."

Riley smiled just as her phone started to ring in her pocket. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Lucas responded.

As Riley took the call, the other three friends continued to chat and tried to keep their voices down so they wouldn't interfere with Riley.

"Looking forward to some down time?" Maya asked.

"Not really… if I were anywhere else I wouldn't mind it, but since I'm here I wouldn't exactly call it downtime."

Maya looked around the room and grimaced. "I don't blame you there," she replied as she shuddered. She never did like hospitals, despite being lucky enough to never need one herself.

"I think anyone can agree with you there, Lucas," Farkle added.

"Sorry about that…" Riley jumped in as she slid her phone back into her pocket. "That was my dad. The rest of my family has just landed, and we need to go pick them up," she explained as she turned to face Lucas. "I'll be back later today. I promise."

"I look forward to it," he replied as Riley placed a kiss on his cheek.

"I'll see you then," she said as she stood up. "Come on, Maya."

Maya nodded as she followed her best friend. "See ya guys later!" she bid as they headed through the door to go find Captain McCall.

After the door had closed behind the girls, Farkle turned back to face Lucas and pulled something out of his pocket. "I managed to pull this out for you before the medics on the _Enterprise_ tossed your flight suit," he explained.

As Farkle pressed the small, velvet, water stained box into Lucas' hand, Lucas looked up at his RIO in confusion. "What is it?" he asked.

Lucas watched as Farkle's jaw nearly landed on the floor. "You didn't just say that…" Farkle trailed as shock made its way over his face.

"Well, I did… so are you going to tell me or are you going to make me guess?"

Farkle closed his eyes for a brief moment before he responded. "It's the engagement ring you were going to give to Riley while we were here."

It was Lucas' turn to have his jaw drop. "I'm going to propose to her?!"

"Goodness, I didn't think he'd forget this much," Farkle mumbled to himself. "Yeah…you were talking about it for a while, and when the opportunity presented itself, you took it. Don't you remember any of it?"

Lucas was silent as he tried to wrack his memory so he could recall what his best friend was speaking about. While he was doing so, he knew that it wasn't such a crazy idea… he cared for Riley deeply, it just shocked him that it was happening so soon! Or rather, so soon in his mind. Clearly there was a huge gap in his memories… one that would have gone unnoticed by him for who knows how long.

An echo of what seemed to be a memory came to the front of his mind. _I'm planning on proposing to her at dinner._

It was clear that it was something that he would say… or rather, said. But the voice was so muddled that he wasn't sure if he was misremembering when he said that, or that he just thought he remembered.

"Vaguely?" he finally responded.

Farkle sighed as he put his hands in his pockets. "That's okay… you really should be focused on getting better at the moment anyway."

As if on cue, the door opened again, this time to reveal a nurse. "I'm sorry, but I need to ask you leave for about twenty minutes while I take some blood."

Farkle nodded. "No problem," he responded before he turned to face Lucas. "I'll catch you later."

Once Farkle was through the door, he let out a sigh. He had to keep reminding himself that things could be much, much worse at the moment. It was harder to go in there than he thought, and that was saying quite a bit. As he headed down the hallway, Farkle prayed that everything would turn out alright, and that his best friend would be the same old Lucas once again.

* * *

Lucas sighed as he looked back to the airport. After a week of recovery, he was finally cleared for full duty once again. His memories had returned to him a few days after all of his friends visited, much to his relief. However, there was no time for Lucas to go through with his original plan when he was catapulted off of the flight deck. Sure, he could have asked Riley when they said goodbye a few minutes ago, but he didn't want to leave after her answer. He didn't want it to be rushed. Lucas wanted to be able to stay with her after he asked her; he wanted to be able to stay and celebrate. No, now was not the time.

As he climbed into the helo, he took one last look out past the landing field. Another three months until he was back on this shore. Another three months until his tour was done.

 _ **A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought before you head out.**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Vocabulary:**_

 **CAG** _ **: Commander Air Group  
**_ **padre** _ **: slang for priest/ Father (also Spanish for father, but not used in this sense)**_

 _He coughed as another wave came crashing down over him. It was a hard enough struggle to try and stay above water so he wouldn't drown. However, his legs were growing tired from treading water. He was trained to tread for at least a half hour, but that mark had past long ago. He wasn't even sure how long he was in the water now. Two, possibly close to three hours. He had lost track of all time soon after the waves pushed him away from his raft, which was now long gone. Every chance he could, he looked around for anything. Something to grab onto, a search plane or helicopter, anything! But he knew one thing for sure. As the cold began to seep into his bones, the struggle to keep his muscles moving became harder and harder. It became more and more difficult to stay focused on his current task and to keep his eyes open. Which only meant one thing._

 _He didn't have much time left._

 _A few moments later, he looked up in the sky and saw a large object start to fly towards him. He narrowed his eyes to try and get a better look at it through all the spray._ A Viking! _his mind clicked._

 _As the plane flew over him, he tried to shout out to it. However, it kept on its course and started to disappear from his vision._

 _He spat out a mouthful of salt water as he allowed the currents to take him wherever they wanted to. He had given up treading water long ago; he just didn't have enough energy left in him to try and keep himself above the water's surface anymore, let alone keep his eyelids open._

 _Another huge swell came crashing down on him, plunging his head back underneath the waterline. However, as he tried to fight his way back up, he found that he made no progress in reaching the surface. His body was too exhausted to fight anymore. It had given up._

 _Slowly, he sank into the sea, the pressure in his chest increasing exponentially as high lungs begged for oxygen. He let a small bubble of air out, hoping to relieve some of the ache. But it didn't. Another released breath… still no escape._

 _He looked up in hope that the surface was somehow near him, but the little light that did shine through was too far away._

 _All of his hope… gone._

 _Lucas released the last of the air that was in his lungs. Not too long after, he felt the water start to fill in his nose and mouth._

 _And he swallowed it._

 _Another gulp, and another… water continued to fill his lungs as his vision began to fade._

Lucas awoke with a gasp. His chest was heaving at an alarming rate, and sweat was sliding down his forehead. Once he realized where he was and that he was safe, Lucas let out a frustrated sigh and covered his face with his hands. Whenever he closed his eyes, he relived that night, or worse, what could have happened.

A voice coming from the bunk below him cut through the silence. "Lucas? Are you alright?" Farkle asked.

He lowered his hands away from his face and remained silent for a moment before answering. "Yeah… yeah, I'm fine."

"I don't buy it," Farkle returned.

"And why's that?" Lucas asked, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"Let me see, where to begin. Even though I'm your RIO, roommate, and best friend, you seem to be avoiding me. From what I've noticed recently, you've been having trouble sleeping, and that's either being so restless that you can't fall asleep and keep me up as a result, or you wake up suddenly. I saw you jump at the sound of an F-14 catapulting off of the flight deck, and that never used to catch you like that. Your scores are dropping – not enough for the CAG to get involved, but enough for me to notice something is wrong. Need I continue?"

Lucas didn't dignify Farkle's answer with a response, and he merely bit his lip. He thought he was hiding it well enough, but apparently not if 'Mr. Radar' in the bunk below him was able to pick up on the signals he was putting off.

"So," Farkle continued, "how long has this been going on?"

"I'm not going to say," Lucas replied, barely audible to Farkle's ears.

"Lucas…" Farkle trailed.

"I _said_ I'm not going to _say_!" he snapped. Once the words were out of his mouth, he immediately regretted them and silently cursed to himself. "Look, buddy… I'm sorry."

"…I think you should go see someone about this… the padre, the psychiatrist, someone! And soon. Seeing you like this worries me."

Lucas sighed again. "You're right, Farkle," he replied. "And it worries me, too," he muttered to himself before he rolled over onto his side to try and get back to sleep. He didn't remember any more dreams, but remained in a restless state for the remainder of the night.

OoOoO

Lieutenant Commander Parker finished jotting down some notes a few moments after Lucas told her, in difficult detail, everything that he had been experiencing, including a few things that went by Farkle's eye. Each second of silence that passed set Lucas that much more on edge.

She finally set her pen down and straightened up a bit. "Tell me, Lieutenant, how long have you been experiencing all of this?"

"About three months."

The psychiatrist looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "Three months? Is there a reason why you didn't come to see someone about it sooner?"

Lucas shrugged. "I thought it was something that would go away eventually. So, what can I do to make it stop so I can focus on my job again?"

Lieutenant Commander Parker stood up from her chair and sighed. "It's not going to be as easy as you think."

Lucas raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

She walked to the other side of her desk and leaned on its edge. "You're experiencing PTSD due to your crash. It's going to take a while before you're 'back to normal', if you ever can get back to normal again. Since you're tour is coming to an end here in a week, I'm going to recommend that you take some leave before you start your next duty assignment. That way, you can get some treatment…"

Lucas zoned out the rest of what she was telling him. Here, he thought the nightmare was over when he woke up in sickbay that night, but in reality it was just the beginning.

 _ **A/N: Let me know what you guys thought! For anyone who has watched JAG, I did not mean to use L.C. Parker from the series! I just liked the name and I thought the rank was fitting for the character.**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Hey all! Back with a new chapter for ya. Enjoy!**_

Lucas' stomach continued to churn as the charter flight touched down at Washington Center. Even before the flight was catapulted off of the flight deck, he closed his eyes and tensed up, and he remained that way for majority of the flight. Needless to say, he was happy when his feet hit solid ground.

He had a month off before he had to report to his new position at the Naval Academy in Texas. After his first counseling session with Lieutenant Commander Parker, Lucas called Mr. Matthews and gave him the cut and dry version of what was happening (only that he had taken some time off before his next duty assignment), and he asked if it would be okay if he would be able to stay at their place. Once they heard about the crash, Lucas' parents were even more upset with him, and he received yet _another_ lecture from his father as to why his decision to join the Navy was one of the worst ideas that he ever had. Luckily for him, Mr. Matthews agreed and said that he wouldn't have it any other way. Another reason why he asked was because his therapist wasn't that far away from the Matthews' apartment, only about an hour's drive.

Now all that was left to do was to meet up with his cousin, Alicia, so he could pick up his car. Mr. Matthews offered to meet him at the airport and fly back with him, but Lucas respectfully declined. He _did_ need to bring his car back with him, he reasoned.

He shook his head just as he looked up and saw his cousin standing a few yards in front of him, her dirty blonde hair blowing in the wind and her blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

With open arms, Alicia welcomed her cousin home. "Hey, Luke. How's it going?"

Lucas smiled as he accepted the hug and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Oh, you know… trying to get by; happy to be back on solid ground. How about you?"

"I'm doing well. Job is going great, the family is doing well."

"That's good to hear."

"How are things going with your parents ever since… you know," she mentioned.

Lucas let out a frustrated sigh as they approached his car. No matter where he went, he couldn't escape talking about it. But, he gave her the benefit of the doubt. Other than his parents and the Matthews' family, no one else really had any idea of what happened, besides the fact that he had crashed in the ocean and almost didn't make it. Everyone that knew had a bit more detail to soak in. "Oh, you know my dad. Frustrated and angry as ever. And this whole thing just gives him yet another reason to try and show me that I should be something different with my life."

Alicia grimaced. "I'm sorry. Don't let him get to you, though. You know that he's been after you to follow in his footsteps since you entered high school. It's your life, and I think you should do with it what you feel is the right thing to do," she said as she poked her finger to his sternum.

He batted her hand down and gave her a half smile. "Thanks, Al. And I'm trying… I really am."

She gave him a pleased smile. "Good."

"Now, do you need a ride home?"

She shook her head. "Nah, you know I'm about a twenty minute walk from here."

Lucas glared at his cousin. "Yeah, I do… and I don't care. Get in the car."

"Lucas," she sang. "I can walk."

"Alicia," he sang back. "I don't care. Now get in the car."

She rolled her eyes and opened the passenger side door. "Okay, fine. You win."

OoOoO

Six hours later, Lucas parked his car right next to Mr. Matthews' sedan. He turned it off, removed the keys from the ignition, and let out a sigh as he looked up at the apartment. This was going to be his home for the next month. Despite wanting to start that journey with people that he cared about, a huge part of him didn't want him to go inside at all.

After a few more minutes, Lucas stepped out of the car, headed into the apartment complex, and pressed the buzzer for the Matthews' apartment. "It's Lucas," he called into it.

It wasn't long after he lifted up on the button that he got a response.

" _Come on up!"_ Riley's voice replied.

A small smile spread over Lucas' lips as he headed up the stairs to the apartment. Once he opened the door, he opened his mouth to greet everyone, but he stopped. The apartment was decorated, with a huge sign hanging above the kitchen table that read, "Welcome home, Lucas!" and streamers sweeping up to it. Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, Auggie, Riley, and Maya were standing on either side of the table.

Riley was the first one to approach him. "Welcome home," she greeted as she wrapped her arms around him.

Lucas dropped his sea bag and returned the embrace, "Thank you," he whispered as tears threatened to spill over.

"Welcome home," everyone else said once the young couple released from their hug.

"How are you doing?" Mrs. Matthews asked.

Lucas shrugged as he and Riley approached the rest of the group. "A bit tired."

"I don't blame you," Mr. Matthews spoke. "That long drive must have taken it out of you."

"Why didn't you just take the plane?" Auggie asked.

Lucas' jaw involuntarily clenched as he contemplated how to answer the teen's question. "The flight from the carrier was enough for me. That, and I needed some way to get my car up here."

"So where's your next duty assignment, cowboy?" Maya joined in.

"At one of the Naval Academies in Texas, but I'm not focusing on that right now. Right now, I just want to relax."

"I don't blame you for that," Mr. Matthews commented. "Riley, why don't you take Lucas to the guest room."

"Sure," she responded as she picked up his bag and headed down the hallway, to which Lucas followed.

Once she opened the door, Riley placed his bag onto the easy chair in the corner of his room. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes. But don't feel rushed. Take your time; get comfortable with your surroundings."

He smiled as she stepped out of the room. "Thanks,"

"Anytime," she responded as she headed back down the hallway.

However, she didn't go straight back into the kitchen. Once she reached her room, she stepped inside and immediately sat down in the bay window. She couldn't help but feel that Lucas was unusually… on edge. Tense… and she couldn't understand why. Especially when Auggie asked why he didn't fly back, that was when she really noticed it! But what was causing it was the real question!

She sighed as she stood up and headed back out to the kitchen. Riley told herself that it was probably due to stress from all the change, but something in the back of her mind kept trying to tell her that there was something much more at play.

 _ **A/N #2: So, what did you think? Think Riley will find out what's going on? Let me know before you head out! See you on Wednesday!**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: I'm so sorry that I'm not thanking those who have left reviews as often as I should. Usually I try to keep up with it, but the past couple weeks I've been on stress overload and on a huge time crunch. So, thank you to all those who have faved, followed, and reviewed.**_

Lucas walked into the living room and rubbed the back of his head. Even though it was close to eleven o'clock in the morning, he still felt dead tired. It had only been a week since he started his therapy sessions, but he felt as if they weren't helping at all. If anything, the nightmares were getting worse and more frequent. Oh what he would give for _one_ decent night's sleep! Quite frankly, almost anything considering the nightmares and the restlessness started soon after he went back on board the _Enterprise_. _Three months of pretty much no sleep… how am I still standing?_ he joked with himself.

"Good morning," Riley's voice sang.

He turned towards where her voice was coming from, and sat down opposite of her at the dining room table. "Morning."

She looked up from her book and smiled that smile that Lucas always loved, but once her eyes met his, the smile faded. "Are you okay? You've seem rather exhausted ever since you came home last week."

Lucas smiled weakly as he nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Guess I'm having some trouble adjusting to life back here."

As he looked back at Riley, he saw that she had raised an eyebrow and noticed that she didn't look all that convinced at his answer. Lucas couldn't blame her… he just couldn't tell her the real reason. Heck, he had a hard enough time trying to talk to his therapist about the whole thing.

"You do realize that if you ever need to talk about anything; that I'm here for you, right?" she asked.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah. I do."

"Okay. So, what do you want to do? Or should I say, what are you up for?"

He chuckled to himself. "Honestly, not much. I don't know, how does a movie sound to you? Just nothing too involved in a plot."

Riley's face brightened up once again. "That sounds great! I know we have quite a bit in that category. Maya's letting me borrow _Airplane_ if you want a comedy."

All the blood drained from Lucas' face, and his stomach started to churn. Yes, most of the story was stupid and goofy, but it all took place on a plane that they were trying to prevent from crashing. "Uh… do you mind if we watch something besides that?"

The concern in Riley's face returned. "Okay," she dragged out. _Midway_? It's a bit more involved but it's a story we already know."

He closed his eyes as his throat started to close. _No… not now!_ he mind yelled, but nothing could stop the feeling of cold sea spray and a harsh wind from sending chills down his spine.

"Anything you have in mind?" she counter suggested, but Lucas didn't respond. The same frightened and distressed look remained on his face as his mind took him back.

 _Another explosion sounded, causing the fighter jet to sprawl across the skies even more._

" _I don't have power!" Farkle shouted. "Generator's out!"_

" _Reset!"_

 _Farkle flicked several switches to no avail. "Can't!"_

" _We've lost the electronics! Switching over to emergency IFF!"_

" _Squawking seven seven hundred! We've gone to four hundred knots!"_

" _We're going to have to fly her straight through!" he announced._

" _Cowboy, that'll put us in the center of the biggest thunderhead in the world!"_

" _I'm flying on grace right now!" he replied. "I don't know how much longer I can keep us in the air!"_

" _Griffin, what's the nearest point of land?" he shouted._

" _Estimate one hundred miles due east!"_

 _He shook his head. "She's not responding! We're going to have to punch out!"_

" _When do we go?"_

" _At five thousand."_

 _Farkle nodded as he radioed, "Mayday, mayday! Navy two five oh one hundred miles east of Cape Fear." Once the distress call was sent, Farkle began preparations to eject. "Lock control of the harness!"_

 _He flicked a lever. "Lock!" he echoed_

" _Visor down!"_

 _He brought the plastic visor down over his eyes. "Visor down!"_

" _Mask on!"_

 _He brought his oxygen mask over his nose and clicked it into place. "Mask on!"_

" _Lower seats!"_

" _Check!"_

" _Command ejection rear seat!"_

 _He shifted the lever back, giving ejection control to Farkle. Once the lever clicked into place, the jet began to jerk about even worse. "I've lost her! Eject us now!"_

" _Position yourself! See you down there, Friar!" Farkle said right before he pressed the ejection controls, forcing the canopy back and sending him into the air._

 _His seat stayed right where it was, and the ocean was coming closer and closer to him as each second passed by. "Come on! Eject!" he shouted as he pulled the emergency ejection lever, sending him into the air a few seconds before the jet crashed into the sea._

 _Rain pelted up against him as his chute opened and he began to descend towards the water. Once the cold water enveloped him, he immediately became tangled in the cords of his parachute. With the combination of the choppy waters and the weight of the wet nylon, he felt his body being pulled underneath the waterline. He tried to unclip the chute from him as he tried to ignore the cold that began to seep into his bones, but the release refused to budge. He struggled to get it free as he began to feel the pressure in his lungs build up; the need for air became stronger by the second. He quickly took off his helmet, allowing him a bit more room to maneuver. He reached into one of his pockets, pulled out his switchblade, and cut the chute's cords. After the last cord was cut, he inflated his life preserver, sending him to the surface. As soon as his face broke through the water, he exhaled the breath he was holding, and quickly inhaled before another swell crashed down on top of him._

 _*FLASH*_

" _Is anybody out there?" he coughed. "Can you read me? Help… help!"_

 _*FLASH*_

 _He looked up and saw the helo hovering over an area relatively close by. Again, he shouted to no avail. As he saw it start to pull away, he gathered his remaining strength, swallowed, and reached to his belt, pulled out his pistol, and started firing into the air._

 _*FLASH*_

 _The helicopter was suddenly above him, a bright search light surrounding the area. He could barely hear the helo's blades chopping through the air. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was someone reaching out a hand to him_.

Lucas gasped as he felt something touch his arm, bringing him out of the flashback. He turned to see Riley sitting beside him, a look of worry plastered on her face as she quickly pulled her arm away.

"Lucas, what is wrong?"

He shook his head as he looked down at his hands. "Don't worry about it."

"How can I? Whatever is happening is hurting you so much and I want to help you through it! Now if you'll just –"

"I _said_ don't worry about _it_!" he roared.

Riley's eyes widened as her mouth dropped in surprise. Once he saw her reaction, Lucas closed his eyes again and his mouth tightened into a thin line. He stood up as quickly as he could and headed for the door.

"Lucas!" Riley called out to him. "Wait!"

But he didn't respond. In one swift motion, Lucas grabbed his leather jacket from the rack, opened the door, and slammed it behind him; leaving a confused and worried Riley behind… left to wonder what had just happened.

 _ **A/N #2: Only two chapters left! You guys ready for it? If you could let me know what you thought before you leave that would be great :)**_


	17. Chapter 17

Nearly twelve hours later, Riley was still sitting on the couch, waiting for Lucas to come through the door. She hadn't heard from him since he went storming out, and she did everything she could to try to get in touch with him. Riley called his cell phone about twenty times, to which he didn't pick up. However, she knew that he got them. Each time after two rings, it would be sent straight to voice mail. Riley had called him enough to know that his phone rang about four times before it automatically switched over.

About four hours after Lucas took off, Riley called Maya to help her try and find him. The two friends searched all over the city to no avail. But there was one thing for certain that they found out.

When Lucas didn't want to be found, he made sure that no one could find him.

The doorknob slowly turned and the door opened. Riley turned her head and saw Lucas standing in the doorway, looking even more drained than he did earlier today.

"I, uh… I thought everyone would be asleep," he said groggily.

Riley shifted herself on the couch to face him. "Everyone else is. I wanted to wait up for you."

Lucas nodded as he walked towards the hallway, not wanting to talk about anything that happened. Riley must have sensed this, for she stopped him from going any further.

"You know, I got a rather unusual call today. It was for you actually."

He froze by the end table and made eye contact with her. "Who was it?"

She crossed her arms and stood up. "Your therapist. She was calling because she couldn't get ahold of you on your cellphone, and you listed the apartment as your second number. She said that you missed your appointment today, and was wondering where you were."

Lucas bit the inside of his cheek. "What did you tell her?"

"It doesn't matter," she responded as she shook her head.

"It does to me!"

Riley placed her hands on her hips. "You want to know what matters to me? What is going on with you? Why are you acting like this? Why are you seeing a therapist? Is this the real reason why you're on leave right now?"

"Riley, can you please just let it go?" Lucas harshly pleaded.

"No! I can't!" she shouted back.

"Don't yell, you just said yourself that the rest of your family is asleep," he muttered.

She narrowed her eyes. "Quite frankly, at the moment I don't care. I want to know why you've been acting like this because it's worrying me! Something is wrong and I want to know what it is, and I want to know now! I want _my_ Lucas back! I want to help you!"

Silence fell over the two, yet the tension was still high between them. Neither of them broke eye contact, despite the tears starting to form in Lucas' eyes.

"Well," Lucas began as his voice cracked, "I don't know if that's possible."

The anger that was on Riley's face was replaced with confusion as she raised an eyebrow. "What?"

But before Lucas could answer, the tears started to stream down his face. All the anger that Riley was feeling washed away as she approached him, and she took ahold of his arm and led him over to the couch. Once the two sat down, Lucas let the tears flow more freely, and the crying soon turning into sobbing. All during that time, Riley wrapped her arms around him and let him cry. Whatever it was that had got to him, she hoped that this was helping in some way.

After a little while, Lucas finally started to calm down a bit. It was then where he slightly pulled away from Riley and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Riley shook her head lightly and placed her hand on his. "Don't apologize. It looks like you needed to do that for a while."

Lucas nodded and rested his head in his hands. "You have no idea."

"Does it have to deal with the crash?"

He nodded again. "Good guess," his muffled voice replied.

"Then do you want to tell me everything else?"

Lucas leaned back onto the sofa and sighed. "It's hard to talk about…" he trailed.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

A small smile spread over Lucas' lips; the first genuine smile that Riley had seen since he first came back. It took a little while before he spoke, but when he began, Riley gave him her full attention.

"It haunts me every night. What happened, what could have happened. The nightmares come every night… when I can get to sleep that is. I was avoiding Farkle when I was still there. Don't ask me how I did because I don't even know how I did considering I have to work with him all the time. Whenever anything got catapulted off of the deck, I'd jump. Just trying to fly missions was hard enough. My scores were dropping… not enough for the CAG to get involved, but being the person he is, Farkle did."

"Did you talk to anyone about it?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, but not until recently. The only reason why I went because Farkle cornered me and I snapped at him, like I did with you earlier today."

"So you were feeling like this for how long?"

"…about three months."

Riley's mouth fell open. "Three months? Why didn't you go to anyone sooner?"

He shrugged. "Like I told Lieutenant Commander Parker, the therapist on board the _Enterprise,_ I thought it would go away."

She nodded. "Okay… so, what happened there?"

Lucas bit his lip and let a long pause come over the two. "She diagnosed me with PTSD…" he muttered. "And there's a chance I won't ever fully recover. The reason I'm on leave right now is for therapy, and at least in my opinion, it's not working at all. I know it's only been a week, but I feel as if _something_ should be better by this point."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He sighed. "Riley, I love you, but this is hard enough to talk about right now… think how I was feeling when she told me."

Riley bobbed her head from side to side as she thought about the situation. "Okay, I'm sorry. But what happened to you down there to cause this? I know punching out is the last thing a pilot wants to do because of what your body goes through, but Farkle's okay! So why you?"

Again, Lucas bit the inside of his cheek. "Because you don't know all of what went on that night. You only know what the skipper told Captain McCall. No one else really knows what happened that night… Farkle kind of does but…"

"But what?"

"Farkle was lucky in a sense. He was able to do everything by the book until he was fished out. I… wasn't so lucky. Something happened to my ejection seat, so I didn't punch out at the same time he did. I got tangled in my shoot cords, and my clasp wouldn't unbuckle. Once I was free, the swells took my raft away," he explained.

Riley nodded but was still confused. "Okay, forgive me if I've gotten the wrong idea right now, but that doesn't really explain how Farkle could understand."

Lucas nodded. "You're right. He was there when…" he trailed, but failed to finish the thought.

After a few moments of silence, Riley coaxed, "When what?" She was hoping that it would help persuade the answer out of him.

"Farkle was in sickbay when I was looking at the light."

Riley's eyes widened as she tried to find the words to speak. "W-when you say 'the light'… you mean…"

Lucas nodded before she could finish. "Yeah, I do."

"For how long?" she whispered.

"I've been told it was five minutes, but it felt a lot less to me."

"What did you see?"

"Not much, honestly," he explained. "If anything, I felt more than I saw anything. And it felt as if He was saying it wasn't my time; that I have more to do before I go."

Riley nodded. "Okay… so if that's what you felt He was saying, then why are you feeling like this? Why is it all haunting you?"

"I don't know," Lucas groaned. "Maybe that if I go up again that something similar might happen, and this time it _will_ be my time!"

Riley scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. "I wish there was something I could say to make this all better instantly, but I can't. The only thing I _can_ say is that no matter what happens, I'm always here for you. If you need to talk to about it, I'm here… if you need to vent about it, I'm here. If you just need someone to be with, I'm always here."

Lucas returned the embrace as more tears to his eyes and he kissed the top of her head. "Thank you so much," he whispered.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

 _ **A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! One more chapter left :)**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N:**_ **Please** _ **read the author's note (I know it's a bit long but it's important) at the end and enjoy the final chapter :)**_

Lucas smiled as he and Riley headed down the sidewalk towards Central Park. It was hard to believe that in one week he would be heading back down to Texas. To him, it was a bit ironic how things had sort of come full circle. He knew that his father would be waiting to get ahold of him once he got down there, and he would take full advantage of it; but for the first time in his life, Lucas was ready for it.

The past two weeks since he told everything to Riley helped him improve. Lucas knew he still had a long way to go yet, but at least he was heading in the right direction thanks to her. The nightmares were far fewer, as well as the flashbacks. However, he still had some trouble talking to people about it. He knew it wasn't going to be like flipping a switch, but at least he was ready to move on to the next step in his career.

Which included one more thing that he wanted to do up here before he left. That was the reason both he and Riley were heading to the park.

They had gone to a romantic dinner, and they had just left the movie theater. Now, a nice calming walk around the park. This night was Riley's idea yesterday; that way, they could have a bit of alone time before he had to leave. Lucas thought this was the perfect opportunity to ask her, considering he could no longer do what he originally had planned.

The two of them walked down the wooded path, hand in hand, and enjoying the welcomed silence. Riley was resting her shoulder on Lucas' shoulder and listening to the steady rhythm of his heart, happy that she was still able to hear it. Lucas had his head rested on top of Riley's, and he would enjoy the scent of her perfume whenever a soft breeze would come. For both of them, the night was perfect.

As the end of the path drew near, something by the base of a tree caught Riley's attention. She raised her head and tried to focus on it more, but at the distance they were at, all she saw was a red speck.

"What do you suppose that is?" Riley asked as she pointed towards it.

It took everything Lucas had to keep from smiling. _She spotted it. Thank you, Maya!_ he thought. He had enlisted Maya's help, once again, for the surprise. "Why don't we go see?"

She nodded and the couple quickened their pace. Once they reached the base of the tree, Lucas bent down and picked up what Riley saw.

"Huh…" he trailed.

"What is it?" Riley asked.

"It looks like a jewelry box," he replied as he looked up at her knowingly.

Riley's eyes widened slightly as he took ahold of her hand and smiled.

"Riley, despite the distance, we proved that we had something between us. For me, it's hard to believe that we met nearly three years ago. It's as if you've always been in my life. You've been there for me through the toughest times I've ever been through, especially during these past couple of weeks. If you haven't been by my side, who knows where I would be right now." Lucas knelt down before her on one knee and opened the lid. The jewelry box revealed a beautiful princess but diamond, nothing less for his princess. "Riley Matthews, would you give me the honor of becoming my wife? I know it won't be easy being a military wife, but considering all that we've been through so far, I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather have by my side."

Tears threatened to spill over Riley's eyes as she bit her lip. She knelt down in front of him and cupped her hands on his cheeks and whispered, "Yes," before placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

 _ **A/N: And there it is, the ending of**_ **Dress Whites and Gold Wings.** _ **Be sure to stay tuned for a one shot sequel that I wrote when this story was barely off the ground. Be sure to catch that on Saturday!**_

 _ **Now for an announcement. After some long and serious thought, I've decided to take a break from writing fanfiction for a while. The combination of high levels of college stress and writing is really taking a toll, and lately writing fanfiction has felt more like a chore than fun. You may see a one shot by me pop up every once in a while and some of my work in**_ **Life Between the Pages** _ **, but requests and multichapter stories are done for now. I'm hoping that I'll be able to pick it back up by the time one of my longer college breaks come, but we'll see. If you need any help proofreading or expansion on an idea, my inbox is still open to those.**_

 _ **Until that time. ~cowgirlangel95 out**_


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